Empowering Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease as Partners in Treatment Decision Making (EMPOWER-AYA)

Empowering Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease as Partners in Treatment Decision Making (EMPOWER-AYA)

This study will evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a shared decision making intervention for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with sickle cell disease (SCD). 60 AYAs with SCD ages 15-25 and their caregivers and 8 SCD providers will participate in the pilot pragmatic trial. AYAs, caregivers, and providers will be recruited from Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware (NCH-DE), Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, FL (NCH-ORL), and Nemours Children's Health at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, FL (NCH-JAX). NCH-DE participants (n=30) will receive the SDM intervention including a virtual reality patient health education component, whereas NCH-ORL and NCH-JAX participants (n=30) will receive the SDM intervention with standard patient education materials (print, video). SCD providers will be trained to use the toolkit components and will introduce decision aids during an outpatient clinic visit for AYAs who are candidates for one or more disease-modifying therapies.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with SCD ages 15-25 years receiving treatment at Nemours and their caregivers will be included. Patients must be deemed candidates for initiation of one or more disease-modifying therapies by their SCD healthcare provider.
• Nemours SCD healthcare providers will also be included.
• English language fluency is a requirement for all participants.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients/ caregivers who previously participated in usability testing of the intervention will be excluded.
• Patients will also be excluded if they have history of seizures, if their medical status or cognitive functioning preclude completion of interviews, or if no legal guardian is available to provide consent (for patients < 18 years).
• Providers still completing training will be excluded.