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. 2022 Sep 15;58(9):1286.
doi: 10.3390/medicina58091286.

Reflections from a Psychologist Working with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dede-Kossi Osakonor  1 , Dimitris A Tsitsikas  1
Affiliations

Reflections from a Psychologist Working with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dede-Kossi Osakonor et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia are life-long haematological diseases that can impact the quality of life of patients. This impact on quality of life can require intermittent psychological input throughout the lifespan for management. Managing everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic could be challenging for people with these health conditions, which could impact their health, their mood and anxiety, their perception of control, and their engagement with their regular healthcare services. This report describes the characteristics of these health conditions and discusses reflections, from a specialist psychology service working with this clinical population, about the impact of COVID-19 on patient engagement with the service. The main aim of this report is to highlight the relevance and usefulness of videoconferencing as a therapy format, suggest implications for further service development and suggest alternate ways of working therapeutically with clients.

Keywords: COVID-19; long-term health conditions; psychology; sickle cell disease; telehealth; thalassaemia; videoconferencing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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