Development and Validation of a Biobank Questionnaire Intended for the Public in the Arab Region

Design and validation of a preliminary instrument to contextualize interactions through information technologies of health professionals

The communication of e-Health has been transformed with the advancement of information technologies, therefore it is feasible to carry out studies in the context of health professionals' interactions. Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a preliminary questionnaire to investigate the context of the communications of health professionals through information technologies considering three significant dimensions. Method: The stages provided by Hernández Sampieri guided the building, validation through Cronbach's alpha and factorial analysis. The questionnaire was applied to 43 participants who simulated health professionals. Results: We obtained an instrument that includes a demographic data section and 20 items distributed into three factors. Internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's alpha values generally of 0.848 and higher than 0.811 was obtained in each dimension. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin's measure of sampling adequacy was regular, with 0.781, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: It is necessary to apply in real-world environments to reaffirm the results obtained.

Perceptions, attitudes, and willingness of the public in low- and middle-income countries of the Arab region to participate in biobank research

Population-based genomics studies have proven successful in identifying genetic variants associated with diseases. High-quality biospecimens linked with informative health data from diverse segments of the population have made such research possible. However, the success of biobank research depends on the willingness of the public to participate in this type of research. We aimed to explore the factors associated with the willingness of the public to participate in biobank research from four low- and middle-income countries in the Arab region (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Sudan). We used a previously validated questionnaire to assess several constructs that included the public's perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to participate in biobank research. We recruited 967 participants. More than half did not have prior awareness of biobanks. Participants' willingness to donate biospecimens and health data was less than 10%. Our results also showed that participants harbored concerns with trust, privacy, and with data-sharing involving international researchers. Predictors of willingness to participate in biobank research included no previous involvement in research and positive attitudes toward biobanks. Finally, our study showed several differences between the four countries regarding several of the investigated constructs. We conclude there should be additional efforts to raise public awareness and enhance perceptions of the public in biobanking research to enhance trust. We further recommend qualitative research to explore the underlying factors that contribute to the public's concerns with international data sharing that would enhance global health.

Views of university students in Jordan towards Biobanking

Background

Biobanks are considered primary means+ of supporting contemporary research, in order to deliver personalized and precise diagnostics with public acceptance and participation as a cornerstone for their success.

Aims

This study aims to assess knowledge, perception, and attitudes towards biomedical research and biobanking among students at the University of Jordan.

Methodology

An online questionnaire was designed, developed, and piloted. It was divided into 5 sections that included questions related to issues of biomedical research and biobanking as well as factors influencing the decision to participate.

Results

Responses from 435 students revealed that 52.9% previously heard of biobanks. There was an overwhelming acceptance for participation in biomedical, genetic, and biobanking research. A blood sample was the most preferred for donation. Protection of privacy, informed consent prior to donation, approval of an ethics committee, and trust towards researchers were the most important factors associated with willingness to participate. On the other hand, the vagueness of the type of research performed on the biospecimens and the unavailability of general research results to the donor had a negative connotation. There was no clear agreement on the type of informed consent preferred by students, but to be contacted and informed of research results was preferred by the majority. Students also preferred the disposal of biospecimens and information when deciding to withdraw from participation.

Conclusion

There is strong enthusiasm among students to participate in biomedical research and biobanking with all rights reserved thus providing hope for a very promising future in Jordan.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-021-00719-y.