Perceptions of potential donors in the Swedish public towards information and consent procedures in relation to use of human tissue samples in biobanks: a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the Swedish public's preferences for information and consent procedures when being asked for permission to use previously collected tissue samples for new research studies.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study employing postal questionnaires to a random sample of the Swedish general public (n = 6,000) in October 2002-February 2003. The response rate was 49% (n = 2,928). This paper includes only respondents who reportedly would approve of samples being taken and stored (n = 2,122).


RESULTS
When potential tissue sample donors in the general public have to strike a balance between the values at stake, i.e. the autonomy of the donor versus the research value, most (72%) prefer general consent, i.e. where consent is asked for at the outset only. They want the research ethics committee (REC) alone to decide on the use of stored samples, and they would allow storage as long as the sample is useful for research. The minority of respondents who were in favour of specific consent were more likely to be young, well educated, have negative experiences of healthcare and low trust in healthcare authorities.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of the Swedish general public prefer general consent, and are thus willing to delegate some decisions to the RECs. However, preferences for information and consent procedures depend on the context, e.g. the risks for the donor and the purpose of the research. If feasible, procedures should be differentiated according to the preferences of individual donors, thus protecting the interests of both the minority and the majority.
Kettis-Lindblad
Asa
A
Department of Pharmacy, Figure 580, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden. asa.kettis@farmaci.uu.se
Ring
Lena
L
Viberth
Eva
E
Hansson
Mats G
MG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D014015:Tissue Banks; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement