Re-Aiming at Hydroxyurea Adherence for Sickle Cell With mHealth

National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines recommend that hydroxyurea be offered to symptomatic adults and all children with sickle cell disease (SCD) (HbSS and HbSβ0-thal genotypes) age ≥9 months. Research has shown that hydroxyurea reduces hospitalizations and mortality, supporting its effectiveness outside of clinical trials. Hydroxyurea is given as a once-daily oral dose that costs \<$1 per day. Despite overwhelming evidence for positive effects, hydroxyurea is vastly underutilized. Given the relative ease of its administration, low cost, and safety profile, barriers to hydroxyurea utilization are primarily constrained to the health system and patient determinants. System-level barriers include insufficient access to SCD-specific care, limited access to medication (due to lack of health coverage), and providers' reluctance in prescribing it; while patient-level barriers include low acceptance (due to insufficient knowledge or misconceptions regarding risks and benefits), and forgetfulness leading to poor adherence. Mobile health (mHealth) refers to the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices. Short message service (SMS) text messaging (through cell phones) is a widespread means of communication, particularly among adolescents and young adults and is an emerging intervention modality to improve medication adherence. Its low cost, simplicity, and prevalence allow for relatively easy adoption and dissemination in medical practices. This protocol seeks to examine barriers to hydroxyurea adherence among SCD patients between 15 and 45 years of age who are living in the Memphis region by conducting a needs assessment. In addition to examining these barriers, the needs assessment will provide data that will inform the development of an mHealth application (e.g. mobile phone application) for assisting patients in increasing their medication adherence. The developed mHealth intervention will then undergo a pilot trial to test its acceptability, satisfaction, and feasibility among 56 patients living with SCD. * To conduct multi-level needs assessment of hydroxyurea utilization barriers and facilitators, in Memphis, Tennessee (Phase I). * To test the feasibility and acceptance of a patient-informed smart phone application aimed at improving hydroxyurea adherence in the Memphis, Tennessee region, and to estimate the efficacy parameters needed to design a definitive large phase III trial (Phase II).