SiKL - A Smartphone-Held Record for People with Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle Cell Disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in England. Without prompt diagnosis and proper treatment, it can be a serious source of morbidity and mortality. As part of a programme of work to improve the care of people with Sickle Cell Disease the Global eHealth Unit in the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London has developed SiKL.

SiKL is a replacement for paper-based patient-held records for Sickle Cell Disease. The purpose of SiKL is to give patients a way of organising and communicating their health information during routine healthcare encounters and in emergencies. SiKL was developed with input from clinicians from Imperial College Healthcare Trust in the UK and based on existing paper-based records and emergency information letters given to people with Sickle Cell Disease.

SiKL has a number of potential advantages over paper-based record. Firstly, it won't run out of space. Secondly it's more likely to be available in an emergency since many people carry their phone at all times. Finally, it shifts the balance of information towards the patient by putting them in charge of their record. It is specifically designed to help patients record information themselves. Simplified data input methods and data validation rules are used wherever possible. SiKL is a tool for patients, and does not replace the need for traditional medical records.

The best way to assess whether SiKL is something you could use in your practice is to try it out. SiKL is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

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