Copyright@ Betty S Pace | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR. MS.ID.003697. 16380 Short Communication ISSN: 2574 -1241 Telemedicine Expands Hydroxyurea Monitoring for Children Living with Sickle Cell Disease in Rural South Georgia Rebecca Stone 1 , Krystle Stone 2 , Yunmi Chung 1 , Afshin Ameri 2 and Betty S Pace 2 * 1 Institute of Public and Preventive Health, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 2 Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia *Corresponding author: Betty S Pace, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.22.003697 Introduction Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic blood disorders in the United States affecting approximately 100,000 people and over 20 million worldwide mainly in low resourced countries [1]. Despite the progress made in medical care, people with SCD continue to experience significant barriers to receiving evidence-based standards of care recommended by the NIH National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [2]. Because of the complexity of clinical symptoms and long-term complications in SCD, approximately $488 million is spent in annual medical care costs in the United States (US) creating an unsustainable burden to families and healthcare systems [1]. Furthermore, people living in medically underserved communities experience limited access to a hematologists care. Telehealth technology provides a means to expand medical care and address disparities in access to subspecialty care for children with SCD. Telehealth uses computer-based technologies to provide healthcare and improve access to medical services for people living in rural communities [3]. Telemedicine was established for SCD at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University (AU) in the late 1990s. Woods et al. demonstrated the success of on- site outreach clinics held in South Georgia health departments for the management of SCD [4-6]. When combined with onsite visits, telemedicine clinics increased access to subspecialty care for patients with SCD and decreased travel time for families and physicians, however telemedicine was discontinued. With recent recommendations to offer hydroxyurea to children regardless of Received: October 09, 2019 Published: October 17, 2019 Citation: Rebecca Stone, Krystle Stone, Yunmi Chung, Afshin Ameri, Betty S Pace. Telemedicine Expands Hydroxyurea Monitoring for Children Living with Sick- le Cell Disease in Rural South Georgia. Bi- omed J Sci & Tech Res 22(1)-2019. BJSTR. MS.ID.003697. Abbreviations: SCD: Sickle Cell Disease; HU: Hydroxyurea; CHOG: Children’s Hos- pital of Georgia; GDPH: Georgia Depart- ment of Public Health; CMS: Children’s Medical Services; IRB: Institutional Re- view Board; NHLBI: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ARTICLE INFO Abstract Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic blood disorders in the United States (US) however, patients continue to experience barriers for receiving evidence-based standards of care, particularly those living in medically underserved communities. The purpose of this work was to survey patient satisfaction with subspecialty medical care delivered via telemedicine clinics. The telemedicine coordinator tracked the number of patients scheduled, types of visits and clinic show rates. Surveys completed by SCD patients receiving care in hematology telemedicine clinics held in South Georgia evaluated patient satisfaction and quality improvement efforts. During the observation period, 213 hematology visits occurred mainly for hydroxyurea follow-up and newborn screening confirmation and education. The telemedicine experience of families was overall positive with an average score of 3.79±0.43 out of 4 points total, for the ten questions surveyed. A majority of the families (42.5%) preferred telemedicine consultation to onsite physician visits (23.8%) and 91.3% of families reported they would use telemedicine again. Patients reported positive experiences with telehealth technology, staff and hematologists and rated telemedicine services favorable. Telemedicine is a feasible approach to enhance access to hematology subspecialty medical care for SCD. Keywords: Sickle Cell Disease; Telemedicine; Hydroxyurea; Rural Medicine