GRACE-EU

Millions of people in the world live with sickle cell disease. Pain is one of the main reasons for hospital and emergency room visits. Pain-relieving drugs, such as opioids, are usually prescribed for sickle cell disease pain. Unfortunately, there are risks to these drugs such as dependency, they don’t work as well, or in some people can make the pain worse. This is why research studies need to find other ways to manage sickle cell disease pain.

Complementary and Integrative Therapies may help reduce pain and opioid use, and help people living with chronic pain. Yet, there are few studies that have looked at the effectiveness of such therapies, and none have looked at how to implement these therapies into different healthcare systems and patient populations.

To address this problem, the Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of Guided Relaxation and Acupuncture for Chronic Sickle Cell Disease Pain (GRACE) is a pragmatic trial at three large hospital health systems that will study guided relaxation and acupuncture for individuals with sickle cell disease who are 18 years of age or older. GRACE has three goals:

To see if guided relaxation and acupuncture reduce pain
To look at the best ways for patients to manage their pain based on their individual characteristics
To understand what we would need to make guided relaxation and acupuncture a part of health care

During the planning phase of the GRACE Trial, we set up the participating health systems to be able to work with guided relaxation and acupuncture. The current phase involves three study groups (guided relaxation, acupuncture, and usual care).

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Who We Are

The GRACE-EU study team at the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing includes the principal investigator, a clinical research coordinator, and research assistants.

Nadine

Matthie

PhD, RN, CNL

Principal Investigator
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Dr. Matthie is an Assistant Professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. For more than 10 years, Dr. Matthie has worked as a nurse scientist to alleviate pain and enhance self-management among adults living with sickle cell disease. In addition, she works to improve sickle cell awareness and care as a member of the International Association of Sickle Cell Nurses and Professional Associates, Chair of the National Black Nurses Association’s Sickle Cell Disease Working Group, and member of the Sickle Cell Disease Coalition’s Sickle Cell Trait Task Force. Currently, she is developing non-pharmacological, home-based, patient-centered interventions for adults with sickle cell that incorporate technology and psychosocial approaches to help manage their pain and decrease the burden of sickle cell.

Rukaya

Shittu

Clinical Research Coordinator / Project Manager

Rukaya Adeola Shittu earned her master's degree at Emory University’s School of Public Health. She is from Nigeria, West Africa. Over the past 5 years, she has been involved in clinical research, medical informatics, and pharmacovigilance. In her free time, she enjoys sipping a good cup of coffee, exploring good eats, watching movies, and traveling.

Mia

Lakritz

Research Assistant

Mia Lakritz is a nursing student in the Master of Nursing program at Emory University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California – Davis and her professional background is in early childhood education. Once she graduates, she plans to work in pediatrics.

Nya

Brown

Research Assistant

Nya Brown is a nursing student in the Master of Nursing program at Emory University. She is from Chicago, Illinois by way of Houston, Texas. She is a proud alumna of Spelman College (Class of ’23), where majoring in health science led her to pursue a career in nursing.

Steven

Fair

Research Assistant

Steven Fair is a native of Atlanta, Georgia who currently works in clinical research in the Cardiology Department at Emory University Hospital Midtown. He received a Bachelor of Science from Georgia State University and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Walden University. Because Steven is passionate about healthcare discrepancies, he is a volunteer with Emory's Urban Health Initiative, which works to address various health issues in the local Atlanta community. Having the sickle cell trait himself and knowing the prominence of sickle cell disease in the African American community, Steven is working on the GRACE Trial to help research and identify viable pain management options for individuals living with sickle cell.

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What to Expect

We are looking for individuals with sickle cell disease, who are 18 years of age or older, to participate in this research study.

Study participants will be assigned to a group that receives acupuncture treatment, guided relaxation, or usual care.
Study participants will complete 4 surveys (at baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks) to document their experience.
Individuals will receive up to $200 for their participation in the study.

For more information about acupuncture and guided relaxation, view the following videos: