Perceptions about Tissue Donation for Medical Research among Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in South South,Nigeria

Background : Tissue banking refers to a structured and organized resource collection of tissue. Recent advances in research technology and knowledge in the fields of human genetics/ genomics highlights the need to maintain a steady supply of tissue for researchers. Objective : To assess the perception and willingness of patients to donate tissue for research. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted among 250 patients in University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Data was obtained using interviewer administered questionnaires. Stratified sampling method was used to recruit respondents and data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results : The findings showed that most patients were positively disposed towards tissue research as majority (75.6%) believed the use of tissue for research was justified and more than two-thirds (73.2%) were willing to donate tissue for research as exemplified by willingness to donate blood, 70.8% would permit storage of extra tissue obtained from surgery, and 82.8% would accept treatment based on tissue research. However, more than half (54%) were unwilling to permit the use of tissue from a dead relative for research. This buttresses the roles that traditional beliefs play in determining attitudes and perceptions. Conclusion : There was willingness among the respondents to donate tissue for research. However, regular health education is required to sustain this positive attitude. Key words : Tissue donation, Medical research, Patients.