Excerpt

This guideline addresses the management of an acute painful sickle cell episode in patients presenting to hospital until discharge. This includes the use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, identifying the signs and symptoms of acute complications, skills and settings for managing an acute painful episode, and the information and support needs of patients.

Contents

• Introduction
• Patient-centred care
• 1. Recommendations
  • 1.1. List of all recommendations
• 2. Evidence review and recommendations
  • 2.1. Pharmacological management
  • 2.2. Non-pharmacological management
  • 2.3. Clinical signs and symptoms of acute complications
  • 2.4. Settings and skills for managing an acute painful sickle cell episode
  • 2.5. Information and support needs of patients and their carers during an acute painful sickle cell episode
• 3. Notes on the scope of the guideline
• 4. Implementation
• 5. Other versions of this guideline
  • 5.1. NICE pathway
  • 5.2. ‘Understanding NICE guidance’
• 6. Related NICE guidance
• 7. Updating the guideline
• 8. References
• 9. Glossary and abbreviations
• Appendix A. Contributors and declarations of interests
• Appendix B. List of all research recommendations
• Appendix C. Guideline scope
• Appendix D. How this guideline was developed
• Appendix E. Evidence tables
• Appendix F. Full health economic report

NICE clinical guidelines are recommendations about the treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions in the NHS in England and Wales.

This guidance represents the view of NICE, which was arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. Healthcare professionals are expected to take it fully into account when exercising their clinical judgement. However, the guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering.

Implementation of this guidance is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement the guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.