Crego Submits Application for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program

Crego Submits Application for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program

Kudos to Nancy Crego for her Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) submission entitled “Exploring Differences Between African-American & Hispanic Parents' Experiences with Parent/Provider Health Communication in Managing Sickle Cell." This proposal has requested funding for a four-year period with a start date of January 1, 2018.

Abstract: The central hypothesis that guides this proposal is (1) poor quality parent- Health Care Provider (HCP) communication is a major contributor to negative health outcomes in children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and (2) there is an opportunity to develop culturally tailored parent-provider interventions to improve SCD parent-HCP communication. I hypothesize that improving SCD parent-HCP communication will lead to improved outcomes for children with SCD. SCD is a chronic disease that occurs in 1 out of 365 African American and 1 out of 16,300 Hispanics born in the United States. Children with SCD experience acute and chronic pain and are at risk for premature death. Parents of children with SCD experience difficulties in accessing services and managing their child's care, this leads to poor outcomes such as frequent emergency department visits and school absences. Minority parents, especially report difficulty communicating their child's healthcare management needs to their HCPs. Racial differences influence communication, but these differences have not been studied in parents of SCD children.

The goal of this study is to explore differences in African American and Hispanic parent's experiences with parent-HCP communication in managing their child's SCD. Data from this study will be used to develop culturally tailored communication interventions for African American and Hispanic parents of children with SCD in order to improve their health outcomes.

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