Reimagining Sickle Cell Arthropathy Care Through Value-Based Care Delivery; Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic Canada

Value-based healthcare can enable timely and optimal sickle cell arthropathy surgical care; Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic Canada

SURREY, BC, CANADA, July 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic, life-altering condition usually leading to severe musculoskeletal complications such as sickle cell arthropathy. A clinical research study highlights a critical gap in the timely surgical diagnosis and treatment of SCD patients suffering from this painful and disabling complication. The delayed recognition and intervention contribute to increased morbidity and signal systemic flaws in reactive, fragmented care models. Dr. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade of the specialized Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic and an international team published the peer-reviewed study.

Value-based healthcare (VBHC) presents a path forward, prioritizing outcomes that matter to patients while maximizing efficiency and equity in care delivery. A significant insight from the study is that delayed care of sickle cell arthropathy stems largely from inadequate clinician awareness and system-level disintegration. VBHC addresses this through integrated practice units and multidisciplinary teams focusing on the complete care cycle. By embedding musculoskeletal specialists, hematologists, and pain clinicians into collaborative pathways, VBHC ensures early recognition, timely diagnostics, and surgical planning that is not postponed until the disease becomes debilitating.

A defining feature of VBHC is its focus on outcomes that reflect real patient priorities, such as pain reduction, mobility, social participation, and independence. VBHC models can drive timely intervention and track meaningful progress by incorporating patient-reported outcome measures. This enhances patient engagement and supports clinicians in tailoring care to individual trajectories.

The consequences of delayed surgical care in sickle cell arthropathy are not only clinical but also financial. Repeat hospitalizations, preventable emergency visits, and prolonged rehabilitation result in avoidable healthcare expenditures. VBHC mitigates these costs through early intervention, reducing the need for high-intensity services downstream. Bundled payments for joint surgery or comprehensive sickle cell care could incentivize providers to adopt efficient, proactive care plans.

The study emphasizes the lack of awareness among clinicians regarding the orthopedic manifestations of SCD. VBHC frameworks offer a solution by embedding continuous professional development and feedback loops into routine care. Learning health systems driven by outcome data can guide targeted education and clinical decision support tools, ensuring that frontline providers are equipped to act early.

Delayed diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell arthropathy are emblematic of deeper structural issues in healthcare delivery. By applying VBHC principles, outcome measurement, integrated care, timely intervention, and accountability, health systems can improve SCD patients' lives while optimizing resource use. The insights provide a decisive mandate to redesign care pathways for chronic musculoskeletal complications through a value-based lens.

Dr. Bamgbade is a healthcare leader with an interest in value-based healthcare delivery. He is a specialist physician trained in Nigeria, Britain, the USA, and South Korea. He is an adjunct professor at institutions in Africa, Europe, and North America. He has collaborated with researchers in Nigeria, Iran, Armenia, Zambia, China, Rwanda, the USA, Kenya, South Africa, Britain, Tanzania, Namibia, Australia, Botswana, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Canada. He has published 45 scientific papers in PubMed-indexed journals. He is the director of Salem Pain Clinic, a specialist and research clinic in Surrey, BC, Canada. Dr Bamgbade and Salem Pain Clinic focus on researching and managing pain, insomnia, value-based care, health equity, injury rehabilitation, neuropathy, societal safety, substance misuse, medical sociology, public health, medicolegal science, and perioperative care.

References
Bamgbade OA, Onongaya V, Anomneze-Collins A, Omoniyi DA, Simmonds-Brooks P, Richards RN. Delayed surgical diagnosis and treatment of severe sickle cell arthropathy: The need to raise clinicians' awareness. J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2021;16(5):683-688.

Olumuyiwa Bamgbade
Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic
+1 778-628-6600
salem.painclinic@gmail.com
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