Sickle Cell Trait & Disease in 2025: Primer for the Primary Care Provider

Sickle Cell Trait & Disease in 2025: Primer for the Primary Care Provider is organized by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and will be held on Jul 11, 2025 at Nationwide Children's Hospital Conference Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.

Description:
This symposium will focus on educating Primary Care Providers (PCPs) in regard to the diagnosis and management of Sickle Cell trait and Sickle Cell Disease. A solid knowledge and understanding of Sickle Cell Disease is essential for PCPs to diagnose Sickle Cell related conditions, counsel patients appropriately, and know when to refer to the academic center for evaluation and treatment. Good communication between the academic center and the PCPs, and appreciation of each other’s roles is essential to ensure the patients receive optimal care.

Learning Objectives:
• At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:
• Provide education regarding interpretation of the newborn screen and confirmatory testing including which specific type of testing is appropriate.
• Review the important messages to communicate to families while providing genetic counseling including offering screening to related family members.
• Describe the medical implications of sickle trait including risks when exercising.
• Explain the natural history of sickle cell disease and the possible acute and chronic complications that can develop.
• Recognize the complications of sickle cell disease and provide appropriate treatment or referral to the sickle cell center.
• Review the disease modifying therapies including curative options available to treat sickle cell disease.
• Recognize how systemic racism and unconscious bias negatively impacts quality of care and outcomes for patient with sickle cell disease.