DS19 Assessing the attitudes to biobanking of patients attending a pigmented lesion clinic and healthcare staff employed in an academic hospital: a quantitative study

• Published in: British journal of dermatology (1951) Vol. 191; no. Supplement_1; pp. i102 - i103
• Main Authors: Bowe, Stephanie, Quigley, Claire, Victory, Liana, Yoo, Li Jie Helena, Storan, Eoin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 28-06-2024
• ISSN: 0007-0963; 1365-2133
• DOI: 10.1093/bjd/ljae090.214

A biobank is a collection of biospecimens or biological samples and corresponding patient data points, which are used for the purposes of medical research. Patient participation and support are imperative to biobank research. We aimed to quantitatively assess the attitudes to biobanking of Irish patients attending a pigmented lesion clinic in an Irish dermatology centre and staff working at an academic teaching hospital. A questionnaire was distributed to healthcare staff working in an academic hospital and members of the Irish Association of Dermatologists via their hospital email address. Patients who attended the pigmented lesion clinic between January and April 2023, and patients who had previously been diagnosed with melanoma between January 2019 and January 2021 were asked to complete the questionnaire. Respondents from a market research company, Bounce Insights, were sent a modified questionnaire via a survey platform. A research grant was obtained from Amgen to incorporate the Bounce Insights market research group. In total there were 426 respondents, with the following ages: < 18 years (31, 7%), 18–35 years (105, 25%), 36–65 years (191, 45%) and > 65 years (99, 23%). There were 166 (39%) male and 260 (61%) female patients. Of the 426 total respondents there were 180 (42%) previous healthcare workers. The number of total participants who were aware of biobanks was 130 (31%), with 283 (66%) replying ‘no’ and 13 (3%) ‘not sure’. Around 20% of participants (84) had donated a biospecimen previously. Healthcare workers reported a positive response in 84% of cases (102), but only 46% (72) of the Bounce marketing respondents felt similarly (P ≤ 0.001). Over 60% of healthcare staff, 16% of all patients and 21% of the Bounce marketing group were aware of biobanks. In total, 83% (352) of all respondents were willing to donate a biospecimen following a medical procedure, but 78% (331) were willing to donate an additional blood sample. That number fell to 57% (242) when respondents were asked if they would donate an additional tissue sample purely for the purposes of research. The number who would encourage a family member to donate a biospecimen was 241 (56.6%, ‘yes’), with 41 (9.6%) replying ‘no’ and 144 (33.8%) ‘not sure’. Interestingly, age was related to individuals’ initial impression of biobanks [χ2 (6, n = 426) = 32, P ≤ 0.001], to a willingness to donate a biospecimen (P = 0.04) and to a desire to be informed if their specimen was disposed of (P ≤ 0.001). In conclusion, in Ireland, the majority of patients, healthcare workers and other members of the public are willing to donate biospecimens for the purposes of research.