Approximately half of obstetricians report they have insufficient knowledge of umbilical cord blood banking to effectively answer patients’ questions about cord blood donation or family banking and desire more information or tools to effectively educate their patients, according to a study published in Transfusion. (1)
 
Filling that gap, a new resource called Cord Banking Basics at www.cordbankingbasics.com, launched by CBR® (Cord Blood Registry®), provides an interactive experience to educate expectant parents and others about cord blood, a rich source of unique stem cells that can be collected without ethical concerns and used in medical treatments for some cancers and blood disorders.  Cord blood stem cells are also being studied in clinical trials for cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and hearing loss, and stem cells from tissue in the umbilical cord have demonstrated the power to heal spinal cord, brain, and cartilage injuries in laboratory studies.Yet, more than 90 percent of families are not taking advantage of their options to either privatelybank or donate cord blood to a public bank, instead this valuable resource is being discarded as medical waste.

“Cord blood transplants have become an accepted therapy for many diseases, but many expectant families still are not familiar with cord blood banking,” says David Zitlow, executive vice president, External Affairs at CBR.  “We are providing this resource to help families make informed choices about preserving their newborns’ cord blood and cord tissue cells.”

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended in 2005 that pregnant women should be educated on the value of cord blood stem cells early in pregnancy. Since then, 27 states have passed laws to implement the IOM guidance on cord blood education.

Cord Banking Basics includes a description of current and potential uses for cord blood and tissue stem cells as well as the options for banking, an overview of the collection process and videos where a physician and families sharetheir thoughts and experiences with banking.

Reference:
(1) Walker T, Steckler D, Spellman S, et al. Awareness and acceptance of public cord blood banking among practicing obstetricians in the United States. Transfusion. 2011.