Provider Perceptions of Patients Presenting for Acute Pain Episodes due to Sickle Cell Disease

When treating patients with acute pain episodes (APEs) due to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), physicians have been described as tending toward feelings of frustration in the encounter. Physician attitudes of uncertainty, ambivalence, and even mistrust go not unnoticed by the patients; patients with SCD often report negative experiences and facing biases when presenting for treatment for APEs. This study attempts to understand the feelings of providers caring for these patients, and initiate a comprehensive plan to manage the negative transference and to allow for mutual trust between physicians and patients in this vulnerable population.
Primary author: Jessica Moore, MD