Use of the Internet by parents of paediatric patients

Wainstein, Brynn; Sterling-Levis, Katy; Baker, Sally A; Taitz, Jonny; Brydon, Michael

doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2006.00916.x

Cited by 152 publications

(188 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…8 Trustworthiness and utility of the Internet are concerns in health care technology. 13,40 Studies have recognized that information found on the Internet can be inaccurate, 3 difficult to understand, 3,40 and even useless. 35,37 Interestingly, as early as 2001, hydrocephalus was recognized as having the highest-quality online information among all neurosurgery topics.…”

Section: Technology and Internet Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…41 Internet research by caregivers about their child's condition shapes their interactions with physicians. 40 Often, caregivers do not disclose their Internet searches to their physicians. 2,38 While physicians are the preferred source of information, 9,13,22,35,40 in reality, caregivers turn to the Internet for answers first, especially for rare and chronic conditions.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…40 Often, caregivers do not disclose their Internet searches to their physicians. 2,38 While physicians are the preferred source of information, 9,13,22,35,40 in reality, caregivers turn to the Internet for answers first, especially for rare and chronic conditions. 9,13 While Internet use is becoming nearly universal, the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 8,11,18,36 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), 22,26,28 and disease-specific studies 2,6,20,34,37,39 have found that socioeconomic disparities create a digital divide between patient populations.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Technology preferences among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus

Naftel¹,

Safiano²,

Falola³

et al. 2013

PED

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Object The Internet and social media are powerful disseminators of medical information, providing new portals for patient care. The authors of this study evaluated current technology hardware, Internet, and social media use and their socioeconomic relationships among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus. Methods A written survey was completed in the neurosurgical clinics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham by 300 parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus between October 26, 2010, and July 26, 2011. Results Computer use (94.6%), Internet use (91.7%), smartphone use (56.9%), and Internet research on hydrocephalus (81.9%) were prevalent. However, for each of these four utilizations there was significantly lower access by caregivers of minority races (p = 0.04, 0.03, 0.002, and < 0.0001, respectively), lower income (p = 0.02, 0.01, < 0.0001, and < 0.0001, respectively), and lower level of education (p = 0.001, 0.002, < 0.0001, and 0.001, respectively). Personal use of social media was prevalent (95.1% of all Internet users) with use being more prevalent among less-educated than higher-educated caregivers (p = 0.017). Hydrocephalus-related social media use (59.5% of Internet users) was not associated with socioeconomic factors. For hydrocephalus education on the Internet, caregivers chose information websites such as Wikipedia or the Hydrocephalus Association as preferred platforms; these preferences were followed by use of social media websites. Facebook and YouTube were the preferred social media platforms for personal and hydrocephalus-related use. Parents indicate moderate skepticism about the trustworthiness of the Internet; only 21.7% always trust the online sources. Most parents (89.8%) say that they would visit neurosurgeon-recommended websites. Of Internet-using caregivers, 28.6% use the Internet or social media to find hydrocephalus support groups, and 34.8% have used the Internet to communicate with other caregivers who have children with similar conditions. Conclusions Technology hardware, the Internet, and social media are widely used with some skepticism by parents of children with shunted hydrocephalus. Caregivers are interested in physician-recommended Internet resources. Socioeconomic factors including race, income, and level of education reveal a disparity in access to some of these resources, although all groups have relatively high use. Unlike typical technology use, social media use is breaking down the digital divide among ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

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Section: Technology and Internet Usementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Technology preferences among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus

Naftel¹,

Safiano²,

Falola³

et al. 2013

PED

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“…[5][6][7] Caregivers are searching the Internet for answers to questions about their child' s health, often before seeking medical care. 5,[8][9][10][11][12] Social media platforms provide another portal for asking questions and rapidly sharing information about health. 13 Still, given the ubiquity of online information, the variety of health resources has a range of accuracy and reliability.…”

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confidence: 99%

Access to Digital Technology Among Families Coming to Urban Pediatric Primary Care Clinics

DeMartini¹,

Beck

Klein

et al. 2013

Pediatrics

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WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Internet, smartphones, and online social media offer new platforms for health promotion and disease management. Few studies have evaluated the use of digital technology among families receiving care in an urban pediatric primary care setting.WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS: Caregivers in an urban pediatric primary care setting have access to and frequently use the Internet, smartphones, and online social media. These technologies may help reach a traditionally hard-to-reach population.abstract OBJECTIVE: Digital technologies offer new platforms for health promotion and disease management. Few studies have evaluated the use of digital technology among families receiving care in an urban pediatric primary care setting. METHODS:A self-administered survey was given to a convenience sample of caregivers bringing their children to 2 urban pediatric primary care centers in spring 2012. The survey assessed access to home Internet, e-mail, smartphone, and social media (Facebook and Twitter). A "digital technology" scale (0-4) quantified the number of available digital technologies and connections. Frequency of daily use and interest in receiving medical information digitally were also assessed. RESULTS:The survey was completed by 257 caregivers. The sample was drawn from a clinical population that was 73% African American and 92% Medicaid insured with a median patient age of 2.9 years (interquartile range 0.8-7.4). Eighty percent of respondents reported having Internet at home, and 71% had a smartphone. Ninety-one percent reported using e-mail, 78% Facebook, and 27% Twitter. Ninety-seven percent scored $1 on the digital technology scale; 49% had a digital technology score of 4. The digital technology score was associated with daily use of digital media in a graded fashion (P , .0001). More than 70% of respondents reported that they would use health care information supplied digitally if approved by their child' s medical provider.CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers in an urban pediatric primary care setting have access to and frequently use digital technologies. Digital connections may help reach a traditionally hard-to-reach population.

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“…The importance of the concept of 'quality' for parents when sourcing information is of essence if they are to make well informed decisions about their child's care *9, 18, 26-28] Parents look to healthcare professionals for advice and guidance and prefer sources of information that are recommended by their paediatrician or nurse in order to improve knowledge, awareness and inform decision making [8, 9,11,13,14,22,29]. Healthcare professionals therefore have a responsibility to direct or 'prescribe' internet sources that are of high quality and relevant, and that this may be done as part of the consultation process [11,12,15,18,23,30].…”

Section: Information Needs Of Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of an educational website for parents of children with ADHD

Ryan

Haroon

Melvin

2015

International Journal of Medical Informatics

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ADHD is a relatively common neuro-developmental condition characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. The provision of timely and accurate information about the condition and about strategies to manage it is vital especially because of widespread misconceptions about it. AIM: To see the effect of an educational website on i) parental perceptions ii) knowledge levels, and to obtain feedback to optimise user-experience.METHOD: Parents whose children had ADHD (or were close to diagnosis) were recruited.Following a 30-item baseline knowledge test parents/carers were directed to an educational website on ADHD. After this they were re-contacted for follow up testing and feedback.RESULTS: n=172, 14 were lost to follow up. Ninety-one (59.4 %) participants were known to have accessed the website at follow up. The majority of carers accessed the website just once or twice (32.7%). Of those who did not access the website 65% cited a lack of time as the reason while 29% cited they were unable to access the internet at the time. The majority (74%) of those accessing the site were just browsing for general information. Parents showed increased knowledge post website use p=0.000. Of those accessing the website the majority (85.5%) felt it was relevant to them and would use it again (90.8%).Content analysis of open-ended feedback identified eight core themes including website appearance, content, functionality, perceptions, target audience, usability, usage patterns with areas for

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Use of the Internet by parents of paediatric patients

Abstract: A large number of patients use the Internet to find information that influences their attitudes to health care. The services of a medical informatics professional would likely benefit both patients and doctors.

Cited by 152 publications

References 22 publications

Technology preferences among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus

Technology preferences among caregivers of children with hydrocephalus

Access to Digital Technology Among Families Coming to Urban Pediatric Primary Care Clinics

Evaluation of an educational website for parents of children with ADHD

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