Study of laboratory staff’ knowledge of biobanking in Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Background A biobank is a structure which collects and manages biological samples and their associated data. The collected samples will then be made available for various uses. The sharing of those samples raised ethical questions which have been answered through specific rules. Thus, a Biobank functioning under tight ethical rules would be immensely valuable from a scientific and an economic view point. In 2009, Côte d’Ivoire established a biobank, which has been chosen to house the regional biobank of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries in 2018. To ensure optimal and efficient use of this biobank, the scientific community must be aware of its existence and its role. It was therefore necessary to evaluate the knowledge of laboratories staff on the role and activities of a biobank. Methods This descriptive study was done by questioning staff from laboratories working on human’s health, animals or plants. The laboratories were located in southern Côte d’Ivoire. Results A total of 205 people completed the questionnaire. Of these 205 people, 34.63% were biologists, 7.32% engineers, 48.78% technicians and 9.27% PhD students. The average length of work experience was 10.11 ± 7.83 years. In this study, 43.41% of the participants had never heard of biobanking. Only 48.78% of participants had a good understanding of the role of a biobank. Technicians and PhD students were less educated on the notion of biobank (p < 0.000001). Although biologists were more educated on this issue, 21.13% of them had a misconception of biobank. Good knowledge of the role of a biobank was not significantly related to the work experience’s length (p > 0.88). Conclusion The level of knowledge of laboratory staff about biobanking needs to be improved. Training on the role, activities and interests of the biobank is important.

Assessment of Biobanking Knowledge and Attitudes towards Biospecimen Donation among Healthcare Providers in Saudi Arabia

“…This proportion is more in line with the findings of Lhousni et al, where 37.5% of health professionals in Eastern Morocco reported knowing about biobanks [18]. However, the knowledge of our cohort was lower than in a previous study in Côte d'Ivoire, where 56.6% of participants reported acceptable knowledge about biobanking and its role [19]. Broadly speaking, this result is to be expected since the concept of biobanking is relatively new in most developing countries, including Saudi Arabia.…”

“…In a study of Moroccan healthcare professionals, a similar positive attitude toward the donation of their "leftover" biospecimens was noted [18]. In a recent study of laboratory professionals in Côte d'Ivoire, investigating their knowledge of biobanks, it was found that approximately 44% of participants never heard of the term "biobank" or its existence in that country [19].…”

To donate or not to donate? Future healthcare professionals’ opinions on biobanking of human biological material for research purposes

“…Thus, our research confirms that there is an urgent need to broaden MS’ knowledge about biobanks, since limited awareness of biobanks, their role and their activity was also found among practising HCPs. In fact, irrespectively from the country, previous studies demonstrated that HCPs in Australia, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Saud Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan either had never heard about biobanks and did not know the existence of biobanks in their countries, or did not understand properly their role and the purpose of biobanks, and were unfamiliar with biobanking Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) [ 37 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 63 – 65 ].…”

Building a rheumatology biobank for reliable basic/translational research and precision medicine

“…The most up-to-date high priority pre-analytical CEN and ISO standard documents, as well as the corresponding External Quality Assessment (EQA) schemes and implementation tools were the basis for the establishment of our pathway. Not only following adequate standard operating procedures (SOPs) is essential to guarantee research results, but also having qualified personnel, aware of the role and potential of the biobank ( 59 , 60 ). To reach this goal, a continuous training plan has been foreseen.…”