Patient and Caregiver Perspectives on Care-Seeking During a Vaso-Occlusive Crisis in Sickle Cell Disease: Results from Qualitative Interviews in Canada.

Purpose: There is little research on care-seeking preferences during active pain crises for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and their caregivers. The objective of this study was to identify relevant, patient or caregiver narratives of the pain crisis experience, to understand the factors that contribute to care-seeking during a pain crisis, and to identify preferences when making care-seeking decisions during a pain crisis.

Patients And Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with Canadian residents with a self-reported SCD diagnosis, who were either ≥18 years of age or an adolescent between the ages of 12-18.