title: Patients' views on improving sickle cell disease management in primary care: focus group discussion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess sickle cell disease (SCD) patient and carer perspectives on the primary care services related to SCD that they receive from their general practitioner (GP).
  
  
  METHODS
  A focus group discussion was used to elicit the views of patients about the quality of care they receive from their primary health-care providers and what they thought was the role of primary care in SCD management. The focus group discussion was video recorded. The recording was then examined by the project team and recurring themes were identified. A comparison was made with notes made by two scribes also present at the discussion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sickle Cell Society in Brent, UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten participants with SCD or caring for someone with SCD from Northwest London, UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients' perceptions about the primary care services they received, and a list of key themes and suggestions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients and carers often bypassed GPs for acute problems but felt that GPs had an important role to play around repeat prescriptions and general health care. These service users believed SCD is often ignored and deemed unimportant by GPs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants wanted the health service to support primary health-care providers to improve their knowledge and understanding of SCD. Key themes and suggestions from this focus group have been used to help develop an educational intervention for general practice services that will be used to improve SCD management in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Ghida
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aljuburi
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Phekoo
authors.forename: Nv Ogo
authors.initials: NO
authors.lastname: Okoye
authors.forename: Kofie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anie
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Asaah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nkohkwo
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ojeer
authors.forename: Comfort
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ndive
authors.forename: Ricky
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Banarsee
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oni
authors.forename: Azeem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majeed