Barriers to care and quality of primary care services in children with sickle cell disease.

Aims: The aims of this study were: to (1) identify barriers to care in children with sickle cell disease; (2) examine the quality of primary care services received by these children and (3) examine the relationship between barriers to care and quality of primary care services in children with sickle cell disease.

Background: Effective management in children with sickle cell disease requires early access to a comprehensive range of preventive screenings, urgent care treatments for vaso-occlusive pain crisis and ongoing prophylactic treatments.

Design: A cross-sectional survey of parents of children with sickle cell disease was conducted between April-September 2011.