Evaluation of a Sickle Cell Disease Educational Website for Emergency Providers

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a complex multisystem debilitating disease. Despite its complexity, health care providers who are not SCD experts receive little formal education on SCD. An open-access, educational website, "Emergency Department Sickle Cell Disease: Crisis Management and Beyond," was created to provide education about SCD to emergency department (ED) providers who are not SCD experts but who provide care for patients with SCD. Electronic surveys were used to conduct a formal evaluation of the accuracy and relevance of the website's content, as well as the effectiveness of the education modules in improving knowledge among health care providers. The evaluation consisted of (1) individual module pre- and post-knowledge assessment, (2) content validity assessment of educational modules, (3) overall website content assessment, and (4) overall website assessment (Health on the Net core principles). A convenient sample of ED providers, accelerated bachelor of science in nursing students, SCD experts, and website experts completed the anonymous surveys. Descriptive statistics and paired t tests were used to compare mean difference in post- minus pre-knowledge test scores. Knowledge scores statistically improved for nursing students (p value less than 0.0001). Emergency department providers showed a mean improvement of 3.2 points on the eight-item knowledge assessment. Both SCD experts and ED providers agreed that the module content was clear and easy to understand, accurate, comprehensive, relevant, and met module objectives. Participants agreed that the website was clear, easy to navigate, and visually appealing. Website experts stated that the website met much of the Health on the Net criteria. The website is a useful resource for providers and nursing students, especially those who serve or plan to serve in EDs.