Dr. Arch Mainous’s recent article on family physicians’ treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD), published in Anemia, was featured on the home page of the CDC’s sickle cell disease section. His article focuses on the comfort level of family physicians treating SCD. In a national survey of more than 1,000 family physicians, many family physicians are concerned with their ability to adequately treat SCD patients. Less than 25% of family physicians treat five or more SCD patients in their practices. Only 20% of the physicians surveyed indicate they are comfortable treating SCD patients. Respondents felt that clinical decision support (CDS) tools would be useful for treatment (69.4%) and avoiding complications (72.6%) in managing SCD patients.
Mainous AG 3rd, Tanner RJ, Harle CA, Baker R, Shokar NK, Hulihan MM. Attitudes toward Management of Sickle Cell Disease and Its Complications: A National Survey of Academic Family Physicians. Anemia. 2015; 2015:853835.