Clinician attitudes toward palliative care to enhance the quality of life for patients with sickle cell disease.

Objectives: Palliative care (PC) is rare for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). This study evaluated clinician attitudes toward PC for SCD. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 2022 and February 2023. Clinicians were recruited from institutions across the United States. Results: Eighty-six participants completed the survey. Most were physicians (90%), female (72%), had >10 years of experience (63%), and lacked prior PC training (57%). Most participants agreed (83%) that patients with SCD would benefit from PC, disagreed (99%) that PC is only for dying patients, and expressed interest (91%) in learning about PC interventions. Clinicians with prior PC training were more likely to agree that patients with SCD would benefit from PC ( Conclusion: Clinicians caring for patients with SCD recognize the potential benefits of PC, although they are unsure about patient responses to PC referrals. Collaborative care teams of SCD and PC specialists are rare. Educating clinicians and patients with SCD about PC is urgently needed to encourage greater collaboration among care teams, particularly in outpatient settings. Strengthened collaborations between SCD and PC specialists could enhance holistic support and quality of life for patients with SCD.