How paediatricians communicate with parents who access online health information

Abstract

Aims: Recent years have seen an exponential increase in the proportion of parents searching for online health information on their child's medical condition. We investigated the experiences, attitudes and approaches of paediatricians interacting with parents who search for online health information and the impact on the doctor-parent relationship. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted utilising semi-structured interviews with 17 paediatric physicians, surgeons, anaesthetists and trainees working in an Australian children's hospital. Data were analysed through deductive and inductive thematic analysis using line-by-line coding.Results: Three key themes were identified: paediatricians' experiences with, and attitudes towards, parents using online health information; paediatricians' communication approaches; and the perceived impact on the doctor-parent relationship. These themes demonstrated that most paediatricians acknowledged the information parents found and directed parents to reliable websites. Following discussions with Internetinformed parents, a few changed their management plans and a few reported discouraging parents from further searching online. Conclusions: Our results indicate that paediatricians predominantly used patient-centred communication strategies to care for patients in partnership with parents. Paediatricians contextualising online health information can contribute to a quality partnership with parents and facilitate shared decision-making, potentially fostering better health outcomes for children. Our conclusions may inform clinicians' communication approaches when interacting with Internet-informed parents and stimulate research about more effective doctor-parent communication approaches. In a digital age, paediatricians may benefit from employing more time-efficient approaches to manage increasing workloads with their new role of digital stewardship of parents.

Internet Health Resources on Nocturnal Enuresis: A Readability, Quality, and Accuracy Analysis

“…Instead of the traditional behaviour of solely relying on health care professionals, there has been a shift to self-education online regarding various health topics. [1][2][3][4][5] This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.…”

“…Instead of the traditional behavior of solely relying on health care professionals, there has been a shift to self-education online regarding various health topics. [1][2][3][4][5] This information, albeit easily accessible, is of variable quality and accuracy; hence, it could be misleading to patients and parents. 3,9 Furthermore, the language and presentation formats used, as assessed by readability, may potentially affect the ease of comprehension by the general public.…”

“…With the capability to disseminate diverse information across populations and nations, the internet has gained widespread influence on health-information-seeking behaviour, and doctors are no longer regarded as the primary source of health information. [1][2][3][4] Online health information has influenced internet users' treatment decisions and health-information-seeking This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.…”

“…With the capability to disseminate diverse information across populations and nations, the internet has gained widespread influence on health-information-seeking behavior, and doctors are no longer regarded as the primary source of health information. [1][2][3][4] Online health information has influenced internet users' treatment decisions and health-information-seeking behavior. In a survey by Pehora et al in 2015, nearly 98% of parents have used the internet to access information about their children's health, and they have relied on the internet more readily than on their children's doctors.…”

“…In a survey by Pehora et al in 2015, nearly 98% of parents have used the internet to access information about their children's health, and they have relied on the internet more readily than on their children's doctors. 4,5 Although it helps to disseminate information more conveniently, the quality and control of health-related information on the internet has been a concern over the years. The quality of information available online is highly variable, and many sources contain inaccurate or misleading information.…”