Poor ER Triage Leaves Sickle Cell Patients In Agony For Hours, Experts Say

Key Takeaways

Patients in sickle cell crisis can wait in agony for hours if inappropriately triaged by an ER

Those inappropriately placed in a less severe pain category waited nearly three times as long for their first pain meds

Some patients left after nearly six hours without treatment, and none got timely treatment under guidelines

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Patients experiencing a sickle cell crisis can wind up waiting hours in agony if inappropriately triaged by ER staff, a new study says.

Patients misplaced in a less severe pain category waited nearly three times as long for their first dose of pain medication compared to those assessed properly, researchers reported Oct. 7 in the journal Blood Advances .

Worse, two-thirds of patients received this inaccurate