Biobanking is the collection, storage, and processing of human tissue and/or other biological specimens (biospecimens), often combined with medical and personal information, for research. Research indicates that most people have little knowledge about biobanking and may hold misconceptions about its purpose. A better understanding of people's perceptions of biobanking is hampered by the lack of validated instruments to evaluate knowledge about and attitudes towards biospecimen donation and banking. The Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN) has recently initiated research in biobanking, through the ARRA funded TBCCN Community Perceptions on Biobanking Project, which aims to design and produce educational communication priming tools (e.g., booklets, videos) about biospecimen collection and banking for healthy community members. The proposed project is the next step in a line of research aimed at testing the efficacy of English and Spanish language educational priming tools in promoting biospecimen collection and banking being developed through the TBCCN Community Perceptions on Biobanking Project.
The specific aims of the proposed study are to: (1): develop and pilot test instruments measuring knowledge of and attitudes toward biospecimen collection and biobanking, as well as intention to enroll in and donate specimens to a biobank;(2) conduct a pilot test evaluating educational communication priming tools in improving patients'knowledge of and attitudes towards cancer-related biobanking, as well as intention to donate biospecimens to a biobank;and (3) explore whether educational communication priming tools increase the rate of consent to donate blood to a biobank. The proposed project addresses gaps by developing and validating instruments to measure knowledge of and attitudes towards biospecimen donation and banking, as well as intention to donate biospecimens to a biobank (Phase 1). Once developed, these instruments will be used to evaluate the educational priming tools developed during the TBCCN Community Perceptions on Biobanking Project through a small randomized controlled trial (Phase 2). This trial will evaluate changes in attitudes toward biobanking, knowledge regarding biobanking, intention to participate in a biobank, and consent for donating blood to a biobank from patients provided either 1) educational communication priming tools about biobanking developed in the TBCCN Community Perceptions on Biobanking Project, or 2) the National Cancer Institute's brochure entitled """"""""Providing Your Tissue for Research: What You Need to Know."""""""" The proposed pilot study will provide preliminary data to support a larger study of the superiority of the educational communication priming tools in improving patients'perceptions of biospecimen collection and biobanking.
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