Determining parents' patterns of behaviour when searching for online information on their child's health

The internet has enabled parents to become informed medical consumers and take an active role in their child's treatment. We aimed to determine parents' online medical information-seeking behaviour about their child's health. This included sources of information, reasons for searching, use and assessment of information and whether parents wanted assistance with searching and assessing information.

A questionnaire was distributed to 331 parents and carers of inpatients and outpatients at Children's Hospital at Westmead in 2015. Most questions involved tick-box responses and a few free-text responses. Responses were tabulated and described by frequencies and percentages. Associations between participant demographics and responses were examined using chi-square tests.

In all, 308 (93%) questionnaires were returned. Most participants (90%) reported searching for medical information about their child's health. Of these, 96% searched the internet, and of these, 63% used a smartphone. The most common reason for searching before seeing the doctor was to prepare questions. The most common reasons for searching after seeing the doctor were to know more and because participants had more questions. Only half (57%) ascertained whether an information source was reliable. Most wanted guidance on searching (69%) and assessing reliability (77%).

Almost all parents search for online information about their child's health, but most are unsure whether the information they find is trustworthy and are hesitant to act on or present it to their child's doctor. Health professionals could discuss this with parents during consultations to dispel potential misunderstandings and provide guidance on searching and assessing.