This guideline was compiled according to the British Society of Haematology (BSH) process at https://b-s-h.org.uk/guide lines/proposing-and-writing-a-new-bsh-guideline/. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) nomenclature was used to evaluate levels of evidence and to assess the strength of recommendations. The GRADE criteria can be found at http://www.grade workinggroup.org
Literature review detailsThis BSH guideline was developed and updated from a previous Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Green-top guideline 1 in accordance with the standard method of producing BSH guidelines. Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Control Register of Controlled Trials (CONTROL), the Database of Abstracts of Reviews and Effects (DARE), the ACP Journal Club and the Ovid database were searched for relevant randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses between 2000 and August 2018. In all, 218 papers were identified. Search terms included: 'sickle cell', 'hydroxycarbamide', 'antenatal', 'pregnancy', 'intrapartum', 'penicillin prophylaxis', 'ACE inhibitor', 'transfusion', 'ultrasound', 'Doppler', 'echocardiogram', 'anti-coagulation', 'prophylaxis', 'sickle cell and risk factors', 'preconceptual' and 'sickle cell crisis' and included all relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and subheadings. The search was limited to humans and the English language. The National Library for Health and the National Guidelines Clearing House were also searched for relevant guidelines.
Review of the manuscriptReview of the manuscript was performed by the BSH Guidelines Committee, General Haematology Task Force, the BSH Guidelines Committee and the members of the sounding board of BSH. It was also placed on the members' section of the BSH website for comment. It has also been reviewed by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Sickle Cell Society and BSH Obstetric Haematology Special Interest Group; these organisations do not necessarily approve or endorse the contents.
