Parks P, Miller JI, Cromartie Jones S, Attell BK, Brousseau DC, Clyde CL, Cooper WO, Dasgupta M, Desai J, Hardesty BM, Kayle M, Latta K, Mukhopadhyay A, Plaxco AP, Reeves SL, Singh A, Snyder AB, Valle J, Zhou M, Sontag MK
Plain Language Summary:
People with sickle cell disease (SCD) often need emergency and hospital care because of complications related to their condition. In this study of more than 27,000 people with SCD across eight U.S. states, over half visited an emergency department and about 40% were hospitalized during 2018.
Most hospital admissions began in the emergency department, highlighting the important role emergency care plays in managing SCD. The findings suggest more research is needed to understand why emergency care use is so common and how access to outpatient care might help improve outcomes.
Keywords:
acute care use; emergency department visits; health care disparities; public health insurance; sickle cell disease
