A rapid evidence assessment of sickle cell disease educational interventions

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of educational interventions on the knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding sickle cell disease (SCD) pain management in the UK. BACKGROUND: Variations and inadequate pain management due toHCPs’ lack of knowledge and negative attitude is still an ongoing global concern for SCD patients despite availability of effective treatment and evidence‐based guidelines. Several international studies have implemented interventions aimed at improving knowledge, attitude, and pain management. No review on the effectiveness of these interventions was found. Also, no previous intervention done in the UK was found from the thorough search of research databases. However, there are estimated 240,000 genetic carriers with about 12,500–15,000 estimated people living with SCD in the UK. DESIGN: Rapid Evidence Assessment of existing evidence. METHODS: A rapid evidence assessment was conducted between March 2021–January 2022 following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Included papers must have an educational intervention about SCD or related symptom management where the learners were HCPs. Excluded papers were those not published in English or before 2010. The following databases were searched: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed America and Europe, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Data quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool (MMAT) and analysed using a narrative approach. RESULTS: Ten studies were included in the final review. Overall, they reported improved outcomes in six main themes: knowledge, attitude, perception, adoption, satisfaction and efficiency. Five studies reported statistically significant improvement in at least one outcome, four studies reported positive improvement, and two studies reported no significant improvement in knowledge and attitude. These heterogeneous studies were implemented once, and all designs were prone to bias; this makes it difficult to state how effective interventions are for SCD. CONCLUSION: Current evidence of positive improvement in HCPs’ knowledge and attitude is insufficient for generalisation and recommendation for adoption. However, we believe that implementing validated educational interventions remains essential for effective acute SCD pain management and patient‐centred care. Further research is needed to find a suitable educational intervention that can be replicated. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Quality SCD education, timely crisis management and reduced patient stigma are crucial in reducing the risk of rapid clinical decompensation to avoid developing life‐threatening complications. Understanding SCD can also support the building of therapeutic relationships between the patient and practitioner. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This review was not registered.