Improving Consent Education for Biospecimen Research After Newborn Screening Using an Electronic Process in Michigan Hospitals

What this Trial Is About

This research evaluates a new electronic consent education process for the use and retention of leftover dried bloodspots after newborn screening at four hospitals in Michigan. The study compares the current standard consent approach to the new method to assess its impact on both patients and hospital staff. The goal is to improve understanding and decision-making about the Michigan BioTrust program, which involves biospecimen research. Participants will be women who have just given birth at participating hospitals. The study has two groups one receiving standard education with verbal descriptions and brochures in English, Spanish, or Arabic, and another receiving the same standard education plus access to an online website and a 4-minute video about the Michigan BioTrust. Hospital staff will also be trained and surveyed to evaluate the sustainability of the new education method. Women will complete surveys shortly after the consent process and again about four weeks later, with follow-up surveys conducted via email, text, or phone. Hospital staff will complete surveys immediately after training and after several months of using the new education process. The research measures include knowledge about consent and biobanking, decisional regret and conflict, and consent and biobanking rates collected from the state six months after data collection ends. The study starts in May 2024 and runs through April 2028.

Implementing a Novel Consent Process for Biospecimen Research After Newborn Screening