Internet Usage by Parents Prior to Seeking Care at a Pediatric Emergency Department: Observational Study

Purvi L Shroff; Rebecca W Hayes; Pradeep Padmanabhan; Michelle D Stevenson

doi:10.2196/ijmr.5075

Internet Usage by Parents Prior to Seeking Care at a Pediatric Emergency Department: Observational Study

Interact J Med Res. 2017 Sep 28;6(2):e17. doi: 10.2196/ijmr.5075.

Authors

Purvi L Shroff^#¹, Rebecca W Hayes^#², Pradeep Padmanabhan^#³, Michelle D Stevenson^#³

Affiliations

¹ Pediatric Emergency Medicine Associates, Atlanta, GA, United States.
² Family Residency Program, St. Louis University, Belleville, IL, United States.
³ Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Little is known about how parents utilize medical information on the Internet prior to an emergency department (ED) visit.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the proportion of parents who accessed the Internet for medical information related to their child's illness in the 24 hours prior to an ED visit (IPED), to identify the websites used, and to understand how the content contributed to the decision to visit the ED.

Methods: A 40-question interview was conducted with parents presenting to an ED within a freestanding children's hospital. If parents reported IPED, the number and names of websites were documented. Parents indicated the helpfulness of Web-based content using a 100-mm visual analog scale and the degree to which it contributed to the decision to visit the ED using 5-point Likert-type responses.

Results: About 11.8 % (31/262) reported IPED (95% CI 7.3-5.3). Parents who reported IPED were more likely to have at least some college education (P=.04), higher annual household income (P=.001), and older children (P=.04) than those who did not report IPED. About 35% (11/31) could not name any websites used. Mean level of helpfulness of Web-based content was 62 mm (standard deviation, SD=25 mm). After Internet use, some parents (29%, 9/31) were more certain they needed to visit the ED, whereas 19% (6/31) were less certain. A majority (87%, 195/224) of parents who used the Internet stated that they would be somewhat likely or very likely to visit a website recommended by a physician.

Conclusions: Nearly 1 out of 8 parents presenting to an urban pediatric ED reported using the Internet in the 24 hours prior to the ED visit. Among privately insured, at least one in 5 parents reported using the Internet prior to visiting the ED. Web-based medical information often influences decision making regarding ED utilization. Pediatric providers should provide parents with recommendations for high-quality sources of health information available on the Internet.

Keywords: Internet; decision making; emergency department.

©Purvi L Shroff, Rebecca W Hayes, Pradeep Padmanabhan, Michelle D Stevenson. Originally published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research (http://www.i-jmr.org/), 28.09.2017.