The Need for Nurses and Community Health Workers in Sickle Cell Disease Care

Research and Data Insights

Nurses  

Nurses play an important role in sickle cell disease care through providing holistic care to children and their families. 

Source: The Role of Nurses Caring for Children Diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia and Their Families in a Hospital Setting.

Community Health Workers 

Community Health Workers play a vital role in supporting adolescents and young adults sickle cell patients. 

Source: Community health workers supporting emerging adults with sickle cell disease 

 

Myth vs. Fact

Myth: General clinical training is enough; there’s no need for disease-specific workforce development in sickle cell care.

Fact: The management of sickle cell disease is at the precipice of new therapies, including gene therapy, and clinicians’ expertise in the evaluation of the illness before, during, and after exposure to these intensive therapies is urgently needed.

Resource: Trainees’ perspectives on sickle cell education: a qualitative needs assessment