Community Practice Connections™: Sickle Cell Disease: Targeting Complications to Improve Long-term Implications

Target Audience
These activities are intended for medical hematologists and other health care professionals (HCPs) interested in the latest advances in the treatment of patients with SCD, including pediatricians and emergency medicine physicians. Fellows, researchers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other HCPs interested in the treatment of patients with hematologic diseases will also be invited to attend.

Activity Overview
Painful vaso-occlusive crisis is the hallmark clinical feature of sickle cell disease (SCD) and it greatly impacts morbidity and mortality. As such, there has been a call to action to develop treatments to address this disease manifestation and its underlying causes. That call is being answered in the form of novel therapies introduced in recent years, with commensurate updates to best practices and treatment guidelines. It is vital that clinicians receive timely and relevant education that helps them optimize care of their patients with SCD.

This Community Practice Connection™ program provides an in-depth review of some of the key highlights from the live virtual symposium held on December 4, 2020. This unique and engaging multimedia activity is ideal for the community-based clinician because it focuses on patient-centric strategies for managing SCD that are practical, guideline-congruent, and implementation-ready. The activity also shares data about ongoing therapeutic advances on the horizon that offer renewed hope for enhanced management and potentially cure of SCD.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, you should be better prepared to:

Summarize diagnostic criteria and management guidelines in the evaluation and treatment of SCD
Explain efficacy and safety data supporting novel therapeutic modalities in SCD
Develop strategies to integrate multidisciplinary care into treatment selection and decision-making in SCD
Identify common and uncommon treatment complications to improve patient outcomes during treatment