Religious Values and Biobanking Decisions: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Biobanking may include research procedures that violate the religious values and preferences of some patients. This integrative literature review evaluated the influence of religious values on participants' decisions to donate biospecimens to biobanks for research. The review followed the method of Whittemore and Knafl (2005). PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published between January 1, 1994 and March 31, 2014. The influence of religious values on decision making in biobanking included the following themes: (a) religious prohibitions, (b) pursuit of health, (c) decisional conflict, and (d) scope of consent. Participants' decisions reflected that they wanted to benefit from scientific advancements and to help others but wanted to do so in accordance with their religious values. The consideration of religious values in decisions about biobanking is an international phenomenon occurring across cultures. Limiting the scope of consent may help to accommodate religious values and preferences. Researchers need to respect the religious values of patients by fully explaining the implications of research procedures in biobanking. Nurses should advocate for the consideration of patients' religious values in this new age of technological advancements.

An Integrative Review of the Barriers to Indigenous Peoples Participation in Biobanking and Genomic Research

“…2,26 Similarly, all cultures—both Western and in the developing world—want research to take account of their religious and cultural beliefs and for research to not contradict these values. 27,28 Consequently, a solid community relationship must underpin any biobanking research. 29 Indigenous communities are increasingly well connected and qualified and wish to take part in advanced medical research as a means of improving their own health and contributing to the society in general.…”

Participants’ Understanding of Informed Consent for Biobanking: A Systematic Review

“…Indeed, potential biobank participants have expressed concerns about biobanking violating tenets of their religion. Concerns include religious prohibitions against blood storage, cloning, predicting the future, and trying to “play God” by analyzing and/or manipulating genetics (Eisenhauer & Arslanian-Engoren, 2016). If individuals participating in biobanking research were to discover that they had inadvertently contributed to applications, procedures, or research to which they hold moral reservations, they may suffer decisional regret or moral distress, and may eventually distrust medical researchers (Modell et al, 2014; Rothstein, 2005; Tomlinson et al, 2014).…”

When Biobanks Meet Religion: Association Between Religiosity and Attitudes of Polish Medical Students Toward Biobanking of Human Biological Material for Research Purposes

“…Simultaneously, although socioecological context has been recognized as an important component that can influence the public’s attitudes toward biobanking, previous research focused on the influence of various demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, or personality traits (Domaradzki & Pawlikowski, 2019 ; Pawlikowski et al, 2022 ; Sedlár & Grežo, 2022 ). Meanwhile, one key factor that can affect biobanks is religion (Eisenhauer & Arslanian-Engoren, 2016 ; Toh et al, 2021 ; Yeary et al, 2020 ). Particularly in countries with a strong regard for religion, religious beliefs surrounding the human body and its parts can affect one’s perception of body organs, donation, and scientific research, and can influence donors’ decisions regarding biobanking (Ahram et al, 2014 ; De Vries et al, 2016a ; Goddard et al, 2009 ; Hasrizul et al, 2017 ; Igbe & Adebamowo, 2012 ; Merdad et al, 2017 ).…”

“…However, religion can serve as a double-edged sword: while it can facilitate advances in biobank research and recruitment of potential donors, it can also undermine this process. Indeed, since most religions emphasize values of altruism, charity, acting for the greater good, and helping others, these beliefs can lend support for organ donation and participation in biobank research, which from a religious perspective can be seen as a way of fulfilling a duty to help those who are sick or suffering (Eisenhauer & Arslanian-Engoren, 2016 ; Krupic, 2020 ; Mostafazadeh-Bora & Zarghami, 2017 ).…”