Websites parents' access for information regarding their child's chronic lower limb pain: A qualitative study

To explore the parent experience of finding information on websites to support their child with chronic lower limb pain and explore the quality of information available on those websites.

Parents of children with chronic lower limb pain conducted real-time searching of websites followed by semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically using an inductive approach. Websites were evaluated by two reviewers across seven domains using the Health Information Website Evaluation Tool.

Fourteen parents of children impacted by chronic lower limb pain searched and viewed 34 websites. Four themes were identified: (i) aesthetics matter; (ii) trust builds trust; (iii) something is better than nothing, but it's never enough; (iv) improving accessibility. Nine websites (26 %) were considered 'good' quality and 25 (74 %) were considered 'moderate' quality. The Readability domain achieved maximum scores across 88 % of websites, and the Accuracy domain, reflecting referencing and evidence search processes, scored the most minimum scores on 74 % of websites.

Parents accessing online resources for their child's chronic lower limb pain seek accessible and in-depth information. While parents find easy to understand quality websites, there is a need for more paediatric-specific resources that reflect current evidence.