ABSTRACT
Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia are life-long haematological diseases that can impact the quality of life of patients. This impact on quality of life can require intermittent psychological input throughout the lifespan for management. Managing everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic could be challenging for people with these health conditions, which could impact their health, their mood and anxiety, their perception of control, and their engagement with their regular healthcare services. This report describes the characteristics of these health conditions and discusses reflections, from a specialist psychology service working with this clinical population, about the impact of COVID-19 on patient engagement with the service. The main aim of this report is to highlight the relevance and usefulness of videoconferencing as a therapy format, suggest implications for further service development and suggest alternate ways of working therapeutically with clients.
Subject(s)
Anemia, Sickle Cell , COVID-19 , Thalassemia , Anemia, Sickle Cell/complications , Anemia, Sickle Cell/therapy , Humans , Pandemics , Quality of Life , Thalassemia/complications , Thalassemia/therapySubject(s)
Anemia, Sickle Cell/immunology , COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage , COVID-19/complications , Surveys and Questionnaires/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Anemia, Sickle Cell/epidemiology , Anemia, Sickle Cell/mortality , Anemia, Sickle Cell/virology , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , Comorbidity , Female , Genotype , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Hospitalization/trends , Humans , Incidence , London/epidemiology , Male , Recovery of Function , SARS-CoV-2/geneticsABSTRACT
Sickle cell disease is characterised by recurrent painful crises often leading to hospitalisation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to try to reduce the need for hospital admission for these high-risk patients while at the same time ensuring that hospital avoidance did not put them at risk of deterioration from disease-related complications. In the 3-month period between March and May 2020, there was a significant reduction in the number of hospital admissions as well as mean length of stay compared with the mean figures over the same months in the preceding 5 years (2015-19), with an overall reduction in inpatient days of 77%. There were no cases of unsafe hospital avoidance or presentations to hospital that were inappropriately delayed. Frequent telephone communication with patients and provision of ambulatory care were, among others, two very important means of supporting our patient population.
