Pain management in adult patients with sickle cell disease in the emergency department: how does current practice compare with existing standards of care?

Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder with a natural course punctuated by acute complications including painful vaso-occlusive episodes. The objectives were: (1) to determine what proportion of patients with SCD receive opioids within 30 min of triage as recommended by the current clinical recommendations and quality standard; and (2) to identify facilitators to timely opioid administration for patients with SCD.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study.