Webinar: Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: A Pharmacological Update – Past, Present, and Future

Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: A Pharmacological Update – Past, Present, and Future

Livestream Webinar via Zoom

Date: June 25, 2025

Time: 2:00 PM EST (11:00 AM PST, 12:00 PM MST, 1:00 PM CST)

Presented by:

• Dr. Patricia A. Clarke, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, CPHON
• Quynh T. Remmel, PharmD
• Brian Bui, PharmD, BCPS

Overview of Webinar

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is the most common inherited hemoglobinopathy in the U.S., affecting about 100,000 individuals. With 1 in 365 African Americans and 1 in 16,300 Hispanic Americans impacted, SCD is a significant public health concern. This webinar will cover the pathophysiology and epidemiology of SCD, including its genetic basis, systemic complications from vaso-occlusion, and acute pain crises—the main cause of healthcare utilization in this population. The importance of newborn screening, implemented across all 50 states, will also be highlighted.

The webinar will then focus on newer pharmacologic treatments for SCD, exploring drug classifications, mechanisms of action, clinical uses, appropriate patient populations, and side effect profiles. Medications such as Crizanlizumab and Endari will be discussed in depth. Voxelotor, recently withdrawn by Pfizer due to safety concerns, will also be examined to highlight the importance of post-approval monitoring and its implications for nursing practice.

Nursing considerations will include medication administration routes, managing and mitigating adverse reactions, patient and family education, and developing effective teaching plans. The session will conclude with a brief look at the future of SCD treatment, including emerging advances in gene therapy.

Learning Highlights:

• Understand the foundational science and clinical burden of Sickle Cell Disease.
• Analyze and compare new pharmacologic treatments, including benefits and safety concerns.
• Apply nursing strategies for medication administration and patient education.
• Explore future therapeutic directions, including gene therapy.

Target Audience

This session is open to all registered nurses and allied health care providers.

Learner Outcome(s)

• Analyze and synthesize information related to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) by summarizing the incidence, prevalence, pathophysiology, inheritance pattern, genetic causes, diagnosis, and the main causes of morbidity and mortality for SCD in the U.S.

• Analyze the pathophysiology of acute pain episodes in Sickle Cell Disease and evaluate the associated end-organ damage by synthesizing clinical and physiological evidence.

• Explain the role and clinical applications of commonly used drugs in the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease, including Folic Acid, Antibiotic Prophylaxis, Hydroxyurea, and Iron Chelators, and analyze their mechanisms of action, benefits, and potential side effects.

• Analyze and compare newer treatments for Sickle Cell Disease, including Voxelotor, Crizanlizumab, and Endari, by identifying their drug classifications, explaining their mechanisms of action, and evaluating their side effects.

• Analyze nursing considerations for Sickle Cell Disease medications, including administration routes, side effects, pre-medications, and strategies to mitigate adverse effects, by identifying key factors, evaluating their impact on patient care, and proposing appropriate interventions to optimize therapeutic outcomes.”

• Design a clear and concise nursing teaching plan for patients and families, demonstrating an understanding of medications used for Sickle Cell Disease, including their purpose, side effects, administration instructions, and importance in managing the condition

Continuing Education Credit

APHON will provide 1 nursing continuing professional development contact hour for successful completion of the webinar. Successful completion includes registration for the webinar session, attestation and attendance of the entire session, and completion of the post-webinar evaluation.

The Webinar and post-webinar evaluation is available for 30 days.

Association for Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 14513.

None of the planners for this activity have relevant financials relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies.