Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common genetic disorder, largely affecting Black and ethnic minorities (BME) groups. The prevalence in England has increased significantly in recent decades, particularly in urban areas. The increase in the number of people with SCD in England and the associated burden on the health of patients with SCD have led to gaining increased attention from the NHS.In article published in JRSM Short Reports, Stuart Green and colleagues examined admissions from SCD in people living in the London Borough of Brent. The looked at admission between January 2008 and July 2010 by length of stay (average and <2 days versus ≥2 days), age group and registered GP practice of the patient. They reported that 36% of sickle cell disease admission spells resulted in a length of stay of less than two days. Seventy four percent of total bed days are associated with patients with more than one admission during the period of analysis, i.e. multiple admissions. The figure shows the number of emergency admissions for individual patients (total number of patients 77).
Green and colleagues concluded that patients with short length of stay and multiple admissions may be potentially amenable to primary care intervention to improve their health and reduce their risk of emergency admission.
See also the linked article on the views of patients with sickle cell disease about their management in primary care.
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