The factors influencing utilization of hospital services by adult sickle cell disease patients: a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

REVIEW QUESTION / OBJECTIVE The research question is: what are the modifiable and non-modifiable factors that influence the utilization of hospital services by adult sickle cell disease patients? The objective of this systematic review is to determine what modifiable and non-modifiable factors influence utilization of hospital services by adult sickle cell disease patients. INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants The review will consider studies that include adult Sickle cell disease patients of both sexes who have utilized hospital services. The review will include adult Sickle cell disease patients who have visited emergency department s, been admitted to the hospital from the emergency department s or been admitted directly to the hospital from the community. This review will include adult Sickle cell disease patients who have utilized hospital services for acute or emergent care. The review will exclude participants who have utilized hospital services for elective treatments in order to determine factors that may be exclusive to the use of hospital services for acute care. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest This review will consider studies that explore factors that influence utilization of hospital services (such as the frequency of emergency department visits and inpatient admissions among adult Sickle cell disease patients, and the risk of high utilization of hospital services). The factors will include non-modifiable (age, sex, ethnicity, Sickle cell disease genotype) and modifiable factors, such as socioeconomic (education, income, insurance status, availability of outpatient care), psychological (anxiety, depression, perceived optimism, perceived discrimination) and disease-related factors (Hgb level, presence of complications, presence TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS