Users evaluation of a Spanish eHealth pediatric website

Area of Science:

• Pediatric eHealth
• Health Informatics
• Parental Health Decision-Making

Background:

• Parents increasingly utilize online resources for pediatric health decisions.
• Limited eHealth technology evaluations specifically address parental perspectives.
• Understanding parent viewpoints is crucial for effective eHealth development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a Spanish eHealth pediatric website from the parents' perspective.
• Assessing the usability, utility, trust, well-child information, and accessibility of the platform.
• Identifying factors influencing parental satisfaction with online pediatric health resources.

Main Methods:

• A validated web questionnaire assessed five key domains: usability, utility, trust, well-child section, and accessibility.
• Data from 516 parent users were analyzed using univariate, bivariate, and multiple linear regression.
• Statistical analyses identified correlations between user characteristics and website perception.

Main Results:

• The eHealth pediatric website was rated as usable, useful, trustworthy, and accessible by participants.
• Higher ratings were associated with greater reliance on the internet for health decisions, smartphone use, and longer/more frequent website access.
• No significant differences in evaluation were found based on age, education, or income.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric eHealth websites, when developed by pediatricians in clear language, are perceived positively by parents.
• These platforms can effectively support parental health decision-making for children.
• Specific user characteristics, such as internet reliance and engagement, correlate with enhanced website perception.