Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that cause severe body pain and damage. More than 3,500 Ontarians are living with the incurable disease, which primarily affects Black and racialized people from Africa, the Caribbean Mediterranean, the Middle East, South America and South Asia. However, many people with SCD experience delayed care, misdiagnosis and undertreatment, due to inconsistent approaches to treatment, lack of training and systemic racism.

SCD is a priority topic and a new use case within the E2P program for acute care hospitals.

Benefits for Participating Hospitals

• Supports the creation/adaptation of digital order sets for acute vaso-occlusive crisis/SCD care management, developed through consultation with provincial experts
• Ensures timely and appropriate identification, triage, and treatment of people presenting with Sickle Cell Disease and presenting with vaso-occlusive acute pain episodes.
• Training resources that support team members to have the knowledge, skill, and attitudes to provide care that is based on cultural humility/safety and is free of racism.
• Collects data to measure quality standard adherence & improve SCD care processes overtime.
• Offers hospital sites project management support, leadership through clinical informatics and change management support.

Hospital Implementation Partners

Scarborough Health Network, Lakeridge Health, Humber River Health, North York General Hospital

Implementation and Change Management Toolkits

Development Process

E2P tools and supports for SCD were developed in collaboration with Ontario Health and alongside acute care clinicians, persons with lived experiences, experts and key system stakeholders and groups.