Umbilical cord blood collection: Do patients really understand?

Background: Pregnant patients have the option of storing their infant's cord blood with a private/commercial company for possible future use by the child or other family members. Some patients also have the option to donate the cord blood to a public bank for anyone to use. We evaluated patient understanding about cord blood banking in a cohort of patients with access to both options. Methods: Anonymous questionnaires were collected from 325 pregnant patients seen in our Antepartum Testing Unit. Results: Compared to those donating to a public bank, women planning on storing with a private/commercial company were less likely to believe that a suitable donor could be found from a public cord blood bank. Women had a strikingly poor understanding regarding the current uses for cord blood therapy. When asked whether cord blood has been used successfully to treat Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury only 28%, 24%, and 24%, respectively, correctly knew that it had not. Conclusions: Obstetricians should assume that pregnant women are poorly informed about cord blood banking. The decision making process should be conducted with the goal of ensuring every pregnant woman the opportunity to make a well informed decision about cord blood banking.