Sickle Cell Disorder National Education Programme

This education programme focusses on improving clinical knowledge of Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) to enable healthcare colleagues to provide excellent care to a patient group with complex needs. The course starts with a basic introduction to SCD to ensure the learner has a solid understanding of SCD as a genetically inherited blood condition. The course progresses into teaching about frequent complications that patients with SCD encounter such as pain, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, and stroke and fat emboli syndrome. This course teaches on how to treat these symptoms appropriately and effectively to ensure the best patient outcomes and experience. A whole session is dedicated to pain management, which is a fundamental knowledge component for any healthcare professional working with SCD patients, in any setting. The course finishes with a view from the patient’s perspective which is key to building empathy with those being cared for. SCD patients are considered to be experts in their own condition and so working with them effectively is the best way to ensure good outcomes and experience.

Knowledge checks take place throughout the course to test understanding of the content. Successful completion of the course will result in a certificate of completion.