title: Parent Preferences for Communicating With Their Adolescent's Provider Using New Technologies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because adolescents make few health care visits, we assessed the views of parents of adolescents on various means to communicate with their adolescents' physicians about vaccine reminders and appointments, medication refills and test results-including phone, mail, e-mail, text messages, and personal health records (PHRs).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional survey of 400 parents of adolescents presenting to four pediatric offices (two urban, two suburban) in Rochester, NY in 2011 before vaccine reminders occurring in these practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Roughly half of parents (60% urban, 52% suburban, p = .11) were accepting of teens receiving their own vaccine reminders. Urban parents preferred communicating with the provider via telephone, whereas suburban parents preferred e-mail for most issues and a PHR for receipt of test results. In adjusted analyses, being younger was associated with preferring text message vaccine reminders (41 to <51 years: adjusted relative risk [aRR] = .8, p = .02; ≥51 years, aRR = .5, p < .001), and being a suburban parent was associated with preferring e-mail reminders (aRR = 1.6, p < .001). Those who were younger (41 to <51 years: aRR = .6, p = .007; ≥51 years: aRR = .4, p < .001) and suburban (aRR = 2.4, p < .001) were most likely to be interested in general use of a PHR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that some, but not all, parents are ready for electronic (text message, e-mail, PHR) communications for their adolescents' health care and that a parent age and socioeconomic divide exists. Providing options in the means in which parents communicate with an adolescent's provider is ideal.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York. Electronic address: Cynthia_Rand@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors: Cynthia M
authors: CM
authors: Rand
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York.
authors: Aaron
authors: A
authors: Blumkin
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York.
authors: Phyllis
authors: P
authors: Vincelli
authors: Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, New York.
authors: Viki
authors: V
authors: Katsetos
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors: Peter G
authors: PG
authors: Szilagyi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013383:Suburban Population; D013689:Telephone; D060145:Text Messaging; D014505:Urban Population; D014611:Vaccination
keywords: Adolescent health; Communication; Electronic mail; Personal health records; Text messaging