VIEWPOINTS
COVID-19 Concerns Complicate Sickle Cell Care
Laughter Is the Best Medicine
In these stressful times , doctors across the Twitterverse have been enjoying a bit of levity with clever one-liners about their own medical specialties .
Francesca Kinsella , PhD
@ francescakinse3
I have a haematology joke – it ’ s a blast .
Danielle Prentice , DO
@ dkirch888
I have an OB / GYN joke , but I ’ m unsure of the delivery .
Ali Mientus , MD
@ AliMientus
I have a pediatrics joke , but I don ’ t have time for kidding
Josh Robin , MD
@ DrSandman11
I have a urology joke but it ’ s bathroom humor
Kimberly D . Manning , MD
@ gradydoctor
ASH Clinical News
Twitter Poll
Last year , in our September 2019 issue , we spoke with several physicians about the overlap of health care and politics , who questioned whether , in today ’ s politicized climate , it is ever possible to keep politics out of the exam room . In October , with the 2020 U . S . presidential election around the corner , we asked Twitter users , “ How often do you think physicians ’ political views affect the care they provide to patients ?” Here ’ s how they responded :
Always : 7.4 % Frequently : 18.5 %
Occasionally : 51.9 % Never : 22.2 %
( 27votes )
I have a health equity joke , but only certain people would get it .
The coronavirus pandemic has been particularly devastating for patients with sickle cell disease ( SCD ) in the U . S . Not only is the COVID-19 mortality rate higher – at an estimated 7 % – in patients with SCD compared with the general population , but pandemic restrictions have forced institutions to halt clinical trials for new treatments and made it more difficult to access care . STAT spoke with patients and physicians about the unique challenges and concerns of people living with SCD during the pandemic .
“ People were trying to stay home and manage pain or manage cough and fever , which is not wise . It was concerning to us that people were not coming in … I had one family trying to get to the clinic and the bus wouldn ’ t stop for them because they didn ’ t have masks .”
— Kim Smith-Whitley , MD , Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia
“ The pandemic began to more openly validate the feelings that have been described by the sickle cell community for so long that have gone unheard … It ’ s a disease where there is so much stigma , so much isolation , and questions like what will the future look like , and how early will I die ? For once , people with sickle cell feel exactly the same way as everyone else .”
— Biree Andemariam , MD , Chief Medical Officer of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America
“ I have noticed more patients trying to manage their care at home . I tell them , don ’ t think because of coronavirus , you can ’ t go to the ER … The last thing I want is for them to not go and have complications . We want them to have what they need .”
— Mohammed Sani Bukari , MD , Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF Fresno , who was awarded a $ 75,000 grant to open an adult sickle cell clinic in California ’ s Central Valley
Are American Universities Losing Their Lead In Scientific Research ?
“ American exceptionalism has been built around discovery , exploration , and entrepreneurship , a large element of which is scientific research . Yet , according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science , inflation-adjusted non-defense R & D spending by the federal government actually fell between fiscal years 2010 and 2019 , during a period of one of the longest economic expansions in our nation ’ s history … I think the economy needs to promote investment in our technological infrastructure to promote future prosperity and to fight the loss of scientific primacy to the Chinese and other nations … Congress should let the scientific community and merit govern the distribution of additional research assistance , not the whim of politicians seeking to promote their own job security more than the national interest . Let scientists , working with agencies like the National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health distribute the monies .”
— Richard Vedder , PhD , Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University , on the threat of underfunding American research , in Forbes
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