The purpose of the "Evidence-Based Management of Sickle Cell Disease: Expert Panel Report (EPR), 2014" is to synthesize the available scientific evidence on sickle cell disease and offer guidance to busy primary care clinicians. Readers of this report should remember that this document is intended to provide guidance for management, not to be rigidly prescriptive. The panel recognizes that the responsible clinician's judgment regarding the management of patients remains paramount. Therefore, the Expert Panel Report is a tool to be adopted and implemented in local and individual settings, and to provide an opportunity for shared decision-making in which providers and patients are both fully engaged.