TITLE:
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Support of Health Professionals towards Biobanks in Eastern Morocco
AUTHORS:
Saida Lhousni, Redouane Boulouiz, Naima Abda, Mariam Tajir, Mohammed Bellaoui, Meryem Ouarzane
KEYWORDS:
Biobanks, Health Professionals, Knowledge, Attitude, Willingness to Support Biobank, Morocco
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.9 No.3,
July
30,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Health professionals play a key role in increasing the rate of biobanking participation. Here, we assessed the knowledge and attitude of health professionals in Eastern Morocco towards biobanks and their willingness to recruit patients into biobanks. Methods: A cross-sectional study carried out among health professionals working in various public and private health centers in Eastern Morocco. The data were obtained using a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Results: 600 health professionals were included in the study. Only 37.5% of them had knowledge of biobanks. Associations analysis showed that among health professionals, physicians had more knowledge of biobanks (OR = 2.50, p = 0.000), and health professionals working at the University Hospital had more knowledge of biobanks compared to those working in the other participating health centers (p Conclusions: This study indicates that health professionals in Eastern Morocco showed a notable lack of knowledge about biobanks. However, the majority were willing to donate their own biospecimens and supported the recruitment of patients into biobanks. This study was a good opportunity to raise awareness among health professionals about the interest of biobanks in the development of biomedical research in Eastern Morocco.