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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Parental preference and ability to participate in web-based developmental screening and surveillance: preliminary
Ashwini Lakshmanan1, Eilann Santo2, Marie C McCormick3
1Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA alakshmanan@chla.usc.edu.
Insights
Most parents of preterm infants in high-risk follow-up have internet access and prefer online developmental questionnaires. This digital preference can streamline data collection for these vulnerable families.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Digital health
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- High-risk follow-up clinics serve preterm infants.
- Developmental assessments are crucial for preterm infants.
- Understanding parental digital access is key for modern healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine Internet and email access rates among parents of preterm infants.
- To assess parental preference for online versus paper developmental questionnaires.
- To identify factors influencing access and preference for digital health tools.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 270 parents attending a high-risk preterm infant follow-up clinic.
- Inquiry into Internet/email access and questionnaire format preference.
- Analysis of predictors for digital access and online preference.
Main Results:
- 95% of parents reported Internet and email access.
- 71% of parents preferred online questionnaires or were neutral.
- Lower maternal education, income, and Hispanic ethnicity correlated with less access.
Conclusions:
- The majority of parents in high-risk preterm infant follow-up clinics possess digital access.
- Online developmental questionnaires are preferred by most parents in this population.
- Digital health strategies are feasible and desirable for this demographic.
Objectives:
The objectives of this article were (a) to describe prevalence of Internet and email access among parents of preterm infants attending high-risk follow-up, (b) to describe parent preference for completing developmental questionnaires online versus on paper, and (c) to examine predictors of access and preference.
Design/Methods:
We surveyed 270 parents of preterm infants attending a high-risk follow-up clinic about Internet and email access, preference for completing a developmental questionnaire online versus on paper.
Results:
Median (interquartile range) gestational age was 28 (26, 30) weeks, and birth weight was 970 (765, 1230) grams. Ninety-five percent of parents had Internet and email access, and 71% preferred completing a developmental questionnaire online versus on paper or were indifferent. Less maternal education, lower family income, and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with less Internet and email access.
Conclusions:
Most families attending a high-risk preterm infant follow-up clinic had Internet and email access and preferred completing developmental questionnaires online to on paper or were indifferent.
