title: Parental preference and ability to participate in web-based developmental screening and surveillance: preliminary evidence for preterm infants after NICU discharge.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA, USA alakshmanan@chla.usc.edu.
authors.forename: Ashwini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Eilann
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Santo
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Marie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belfort
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: child development; online survey; preference; premature infant; very low birth weight infant