Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disease associated with both chronic pain and acute painful events referred to as vaso-occlusive crisis. Individuals suffer from a multitude of medical complications in addition to pain. Patients are often stigmatized as “drug-seeking” and receive inadequate pain management.
Aim
The purpose of this study was to compare clinicians’ SCD knowledge and attitudes towards patients with SCD, before attending a two-day conference on SCD (T1), to immediately post-conference (T2), and 2 months post-conference (T3).
Design
A prospective, descriptive survey design was used.
Setting/Participants
We administered surveys to assess SCD knowledge and clinicians’ attitudes towards patients with SCD at three time points: T1(N=59), T2 (N=38), and T3 (N=30). SCD knowledge was measured using a 20 item survey, and clinicians’ attitudes towards patients with SCD were measured with the General Perceptions about Sickle Cell Patients Scale which included items on four independent sub-scales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, concern raising behaviors, and red-flag behaviors were administered. We compared changes in knowledge and attitudes scores between T1-T2 and T1-T3.
Results and Conclusions
Overall, knowledge scores were significantly improved (p<0.001), as well as significantly increased between T1-T2 (p<0.0001), and T1-T3 (p = 0.01). Negative attitudes trended lower over the three time points (p=0.07), but a significant decrease in the negative attitudes score was only noted between T1-T3 (Z=−2.16.17, p=0.03). We conclude attendance at an educational SCD conference was an effective means to improve knowledge and decrease negative attitudes among clinicians. These differences were maintained at 2 months post-conference.