
Time to Listen™ to Sickle Cell Disease
Historically, the SCD patient population has faced significant hurdles. Racial bias, deeply embedded in the healthcare system, has denied African-Americans access to high quality medical care or even adequate pain relief. The assumption that people of color complaining of agonizing pain are merely drug seekers has plagued this community for generations, and is now intensified in the wake of the opioid crisis.
Pathways To Trust™ develops customized educational programs that address the specific needs of sickle cell patients and their caregivers, including:
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Systemic racism in healthcare
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Little knowledge of pathophysiology of SCD
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Unfamiliarity with SCD treatment guidelines
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Historical distrust in the healthcare system
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Reluctance of providers to prescribe necessary pain relief medication due to opioid crisis
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In the wake of the opioid crisis, HCPs are hindered from prescribing narcotics for pain, resulting in inadequate pain relief
To counteract this trend, Pathways To Trust™ has developed Time to Listen™ to SCD, our flagship initiative. It encompasses educational programs for HCPs and patients. These programs are developed using the input of various healthcare stakeholders including patients, patient advocates, HCPs, health systems and the pharma and biotech industries.
Time to Listen™ to SCD HCP Trainings
Participants will be able to:
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Recognize unconscious bias in the system and perceptions of SCD patients
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Identify the multi-organ comorbidities that characterize progressive SCD
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Evaluate symptoms and health status of SCD patients as they present in your practice
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Formulate an ongoing treatment plan to manage the health of SCD patients
Remote and in-person programs available

Time to Listen™ to SCD in the ED

Participants will be able to:
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Identify unconscious bias in the system and perceptions of SCD patients
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Diagnose a VOC and other SCD complications and employ current SCD treatment guidelines
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Build a respectful relationship that helps SCD patients feel respected, encouraging trust in the healthcare system
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Integrate the perspectives of patients, caregivers, clinicians, ED staff and health systems to construct solutions that address the needs and concerns of everyone affected by SCD
Time to Listen™ to SCD
Through Telehealth
Participants will be able to:
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Determine appropriate goals and uses of telehealth visits in SCD patients
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Employ best practices during telehealth visits
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Perform a physical exam via video
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Differentiate between a mild pain crisis in an SCD patient and a more serious complication requiring an in-person visit
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Demonstrate an awareness of the ongoing impact of past healthcare experiences on SCD patients


Time to Listen to SCD Transitioning Patient Communication Training
Participants will be able to:
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Develop the linguistic tools to effectively interact with HCPs
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Ask pertinent questions and provide thorough and detailed symptom descriptions using a disease-specific vocabulary
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Confidently form a therapeutic alliance with their care team in order to be compliant with a mutually-agreed upon treatment plan
Time to Listen™ to SCD for Medical Students
Participants will be able to:
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Contrast historical healthcare experience of SCD patients with that of other chronic diseases
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Identify the multi-organ comorbidities that characterize progressive SCD
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Recognize the symptoms of a vaso-occlusive crisis
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Communicate effectively and compassionately with SCD patients using skills learned in an interactive training experience
All programs are available in-person or remote
