Using Patient-Centered Guidelines in a Technology Platform to Improve Health Care in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects over 100,000 Americans, an underserved population with low life expectancy and risk for significant and life-threatening medical complications (e.g., stroke). Adults with SCD are overwhelmingly members of socially disadvantaged groups, increasing their risk for disparities in care. Annual health expenditure for individuals with SCD in the United States is about $1.5 billion, primarily from multiple emergency room visits (230,000 visits/year) for management of acute complications. Use of disease-specific knowledge has emerged as a powerful tool to decrease health care utilization. Significant evidence has described how to increase disease-specific knowledge using educational materials, including online educational programs in individuals managing chronic diseases, including SCD. Patient knowledge and use of disease-specific information like evidence-based clinical guidelines has the potential to decrease health care utilization. In 2014, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) published guidelines for evidence-based management of SCD for health care providers. However, to date, no national strategy has been developed to make these guidelines patient-centered, accessible, and actionable for adults with SCD. Federal Meaningful Use regulations have recommended using health-related technologies to improve patient access to their health information to promote patient engagement. Yet, many adults with SCD are not yet fully engaged in use of health technologies because they are unsure of the best format (e.g., mobile or web-based), leading to a health care technology gap. Mobile health applications (apps) that include patient-centered care guidelines could engage and activate this population given the high use of mobile technologies, potentially closing this health technology gap and improving health outcomes.

Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the refined iManage in a pilot study with adults with SCD. The investigators will recruit 50 adults from the population of 250 adults with SCD at the Vanderbilt Meharry Sickle Cell Disease Center of Excellence and the ohio state university comprehensive sickle cell center for a 6-month pilot study to evaluate usability, acceptance, and usage. At the end of the study, the investigators will conduct interviews with a subset of participants to gain an in-depth understanding of usage patterns and how to sustain engagement to promote ongoing app use.

Evaluate the efficacy of the refined iManage app on SCD-specific knowledge. The investigators will test the hypothesis that the refined iManage will increase SCD-specific knowledge by measuring SCD-specific knowledge at the start and end of the 6-month pilot study. the investigators will conduct exploratory analyses of secondary outcomes including patient activation, adherence to guidelines, missed days of school/work, and self-efficacy.