title: Ownership and uses of human tissue: does the Nuffield bioethics report accord with opinion of surgical inpatients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare opinion of surgical inpatients with the conclusions of the report of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics regarding the ownership and uses of human tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of results of questionnaires completed by patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Large teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  384 postoperative adult surgical patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was strong support among patients for the use of tissues in medical education, research, and science with the exception of those tissues which may transmit disease to others. Few patients (39; 10%) believed that they retained ownership of tissue removed at surgery. Most believed that the tissue belonged to the hospital (103; 27%), to nobody (103; 27%), or to the laboratory (77; 20%). Most patients had not been given any information about the possible uses of their tissues after removal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical inpatients seem to endorse the conclusions of the Nuffield report regarding the ownership and uses of human tissue. The recommendations regarding patient information and consent procedures should be implemented at the earliest opportunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Sheffield University Medical School.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Start
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Underwood
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D026683:Advisory Committees; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D035843:Biomedical Research; D032962:Consent Forms; D030881:Disclosure; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005260:Female; D018594:Human Body; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010067:Ownership; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D006113:United Kingdom