Sickle Cell Disease: Health Objectives Working Group
Blood Diseases Branch
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Baltimore, MD
September 15, 2006
INTRODUCTION
In 1979, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report to develop health
objectives for the U.S. population. This set the Nation’s health
agenda for the coming decade and was soon followed by the 1990 Health
Objectives for the Nation. At that time, most objectives emphasized primary
prevention, although several addressed secondary prevention for people
with clinical diagnoses such as hypertension and sexually transmitted
diseases. Updated objectives were released in 1990, titled Healthy People
2000. At that time, communities were encouraged to use the Federal objectives
as templates and to develop their own objectives. These initial efforts
at improving and tracking population health were instrumental in generating
new data systems for measuring progress toward the objectives. Healthy
People 2000 and Health People 2010 emphasized health improvements and
elimination of disparities among population groups. These objectives targeted
reducing morbidity and mortality. Over time, these and other efforts have
led to improved data systems that have yielded data for health and quality
care indicators.
Currently (2006), there is one sickle cell disease (SCD) health objective
in Healthy People 2010. The section on Maternal, Infant, and Child Health
includes the objective to “reduce hospitalization for life-threatening
sepsis among children aged 4 years and under with sickling hemoglobinopathies”
(Objective 16-21). Although the National Hospital Discharge Survey is
listed as a potential data source, it is unclear whether it can be used
to track progress for this one objective.
On September 14-15 2006, the NHLBI convened a Working Group to develop
health objectives for people with SCD. The working Group was charged with
identifying health priorities for SCD that should be used to drive and
prioritize subsequent efforts, and that should include appropriate measures
by which to evaluate efforts.
The
complete report is
available as a PDF file. (95K, 12 pages)
Last updated: June 1, 2007
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