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Table 2 Internet searching behaviours reported by parents and effects of information found

From: Online health information seeking behaviours of parents of children undergoing surgery in a pediatric hospital in Rome, Italy: a survey

Survey question

Number of parents answering ‘Yes’ (%)

Did you search for information on the internet about your child’s surgery before arriving at the hospital? a

165 (74.3)

Did you visit the care provider website before arriving at the hospital? a

145 (65.3)

Did you search for information on the internet about your child’s surgery after discharge? a

58 (26.1)

Did you visit the care provider website after discharge? a

48 (21.6)

What has been the effect of the information you found on the internet (multiple responses allowed)? b

 It has improved my understanding of my child’s condition

109 (66)

 It has improved the management of my child’s condition

51 (30.9)

 It has increased my anxiety over my child’s condition

14 (8.5)

 Other

3 (1.8)

What information would you like to find on the care provider website? (multiple response allowed) a

 Contact information for clinicians

65 (29.3)

 Copies of medical records

65 (29.3)

 Information on hospital access

46 (20.7)

 Information on patient pathways

44 (19.8)

 Information on your child’s surgical intervention

25 (11.3)

Information on warning signs and complications associated with the surgical intervention

25 (11.3)

 Other

8 (3.6)

  1. Denominators in the proportions vary by question:
  2. a: all parents who used the internet, N = 222
  3. b: all parents who searched online for information regarding surgery, N = 165