Current Knowledge and Practice of Pediatric Providers in Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
Abstract
More than 35 000 umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplants have been performed worldwide, prompting the development of private and public banks to collect and store UCB cells. We hypothesized that pediatricians, who are uniquely poised to discuss UCB banking (UCBB) during prenatal or sibling visits, rarely do so. Through distribution of a 26-question electronic survey to general and subspecialty pediatric providers, we assessed baseline knowledge and conversations about UCBB. A total of 473 providers completed the survey; only 22% of physicians ever discussed UCBB with expectant parents. The majority responded that autologous UCB transplants were indicated in malignant (73%) and nonmalignant (61%) conditions; however, these are rare indications. Providers practicing >10 years were more likely to address UCBB ( P ≤ .001), whereas younger and female general pediatric providers were significantly less likely ( P < .001). Overall, pediatric providers rarely speak to families about UCBB, and we believe that they can be better informed to its current clinical utility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1177/0009922817692316
Entities
People
- Amy E. Armstrong
- Rachel Fonstad
- Sonali Chaudhury
- Stephen R. Spellman
- Zoe Tullius
Organizations
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- National Cancer Institute
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Marrow Donor Program
- Northwestern University
- Office of Naval Research