Kneeling Was the First Step for Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Payal Desai, Jane Little, Julie Kanter, Ken Bridges, Biree Andemariam, Sophie Lanzkron
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2021)

Ideas and OpinionsJuly 2021Kneeling Was the First Step for Sickle Cell DiseasePayal Desai, MD, Jane Little, MD, Julie Kanter, MD, Ken Bridges, MD, Biree Andemariam, MD, and Sophie Lanzkron, MDPayal Desai, MDThe Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio (P.D.)Search for more papers by this author, Jane Little, MDUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (J.L.)Search for more papers by this author, Julie Kanter, MDUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama (J.K.)Search for more papers by this author, Ken Bridges, MDGlobal Blood Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California (K.B.)Search for more papers by this author, Biree Andemariam, MDUConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut (B.A.)Search for more papers by this author, and Sophie Lanzkron, MDJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (S.L.).Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M20-7418 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.—Martin Luther King Jr.As health professionals, we are required to provide care to patients who have physical disabilities or speak a different language. The landmark Brown v Board of Education decision in 1954 outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations. Yet our society has no laws that require recipients of federal funding to provide equal care for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). ...References1. Brennan-Cook J, Bonnabeau E, Aponte R, et al. Barriers to care for persons with sickle cell disease: the case manager's opportunity to improve patient outcomes. Prof Case Manag. 2018;23:213-9. [PMID: 29846351] doi:10.1097/NCM.0000000000000260 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. American Society of Hematology. State of Sickle Cell Disease 2016 Report. Accessed at www.scdcoalition.org/pdfs/ASH%20State%20of%20Sickle%20Cell%20Disease%202016%20Report.pdf on 23 February 2021. Google Scholar3. Lubeck D, Agodoa I, Bhakta N, et al. Estimated life expectancy and income of patients with sickle cell disease compared with those without sickle cell disease. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2:e1915374. [PMID: 31730182] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.15374 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Brandow AM, Panepinto JA. Hydroxyurea use in sickle cell disease: the battle with low prescription rates, poor patient compliance and fears of toxicities [Editorial]. Expert Rev Hematol. 2010;3:255-60. [PMID: 21082977] doi:10.1586/ehm.10.22 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Glassberg J, Tanabe P, Richardson L, et al. Among emergency physicians, use of the term “sickler” is associated with negative attitudes toward people with sickle cell disease [Letter]. Am J Hematol. 2013;88:532-3. [PMID: 23526459] doi:10.1002/ajh.23441 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Smith LA, Oyeku SO, Homer C, et al. Sickle cell disease: a question of equity and quality. Pediatrics. 2006;117:1763-70. [PMID: 16651336] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Farooq F, Mogayzel PJ, Lanzkron S, et al. Comparison of US federal and foundation funding of research for sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis and factors associated with research productivity. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3:e201737. [PMID: 32219405] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.1737 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Addressing Sickle Cell Disease: A Strategic Plan and Blueprint for Action. National Academies Pr; 2020. doi:10.17226/25632 Google Scholar9. Yeung CH, Santesso N, Zeraatkar D, et al. Integrated multidisciplinary care for the management of chronic conditions in adults: an overview of reviews and an example of using indirect evidence to inform clinical practice recommendations in the field of rare diseases. Haemophilia. 2016;22 Suppl 3:41-50. [PMID: 27348400] doi:10.1111/hae.13010 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio (P.D.)University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (J.L.)University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama (J.K.)Global Blood Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California (K.B.)UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut (B.A.)Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (S.L.).Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M20-7418.Corresponding Author: Payal Desai, MD, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 320 West 10th Avenue, A354 Starling Loving Hall, Columbus, OH 43210; e-mail, payal.[email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Desai: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 320 West 10th Avenue, A354 Starling Loving Hall, Columbus, OH 43210.Dr. Little: Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 100 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.Dr. Kanter: Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294.Dr. Bridges: Global Blood Therapeutics, 181 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA 94080.Dr. Andemariam: UConn Health, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030.Dr. Lanzkron: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Suite 7300, Baltimore, MD 21205.Author Contributions: Conception and design: P. Desai, J. Kanter, B. Andemariam, S. Lanzkron.Analysis and interpretation of the data: K. Bridges.Drafting of the article: P. Desai, J. Kanter, K. Bridges, B. Andemariam, S. Lanzkron.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: P. Desai, J. Little, B. Andemariam.Final approval of the article: P. Desai, J. Little, J. Kanter, K. Bridges, B. Andemariam, S. Lanzkron.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: P. Desai.This article was published at Annals.org on 23 March 2021. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited bySevere Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in Sickle Cell Disease in the National Inpatient Sample, 2012-2018Evaluating the implementation of a multi-level mHealth study to improve hydroxyurea utilization in sickle cell disease July 2021Volume 174, Issue 7Page: 1004-1005KeywordsDisclosureHealth careHealth care providersHematology and oncologyLife expectancyOpioidsPatient advocacyPatientsPrevention, policy, and public healthSickle cell disease ePublished: 23 March 2021 Issue Published: July 2021 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2021 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...