The Effect Of Patient Navigators On Health-Related Quality Of Life In Sickle Cell Anemia: The Ship-Hu Study

Background: Hydroxyurea (HU) therapy in sickle cell anemia (SCA) improves health care utilization, slows organ failure, and prolongs life. Implementation of evidence-based, comprehensive care has been shown to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Case management by community health workers (CHWs) is an evidence-based health management strategy. We therefore hypothesized that HU-eligible SCA adults exposed to patient navigators (PN), CHWs specially trained as case managers for SCA, would have improved HRQOL compared with controls.