title: Smartphone and Internet Preferences of Parents: Information Needs and Desired Involvement in Infant Care and Pain Management in the NICU.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite an abundance of research that identifies the benefits for both parent and child when parents are actively involved in their infant's care, challenges related to the best methods to engage families persist.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a feasibility study that aims to understand the preferences of smartphone and Internet use by parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related to information seeking and active participation in infant care, with a focus on pain management interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A paper-based survey was distributed to 90 parents in a tertiary-level NICU from September to November 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rate was 80% (72 of the 90). Ninety-seven percent accessed the Internet daily, 87% using their smartphone, and ranked it as an important source of NICU information (81%), more than books (56%) and brochures (33%). Participants reported a desire to have more information on how they could provide general comfort (96%), as well as greater participation in comforting their baby during painful procedures (94%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents in the NICU want more information and greater involvement in their infant's care and pain management and place a higher value on the Internet compared with traditional resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Researchers and clinicians should work together to determine the quality of online resources to better support and evaluate parent use of the Internet as a health information resource. Future studies should examine parental preference regarding the optimal balance between online sources and face-to-face interactions.
authors.affiliation: Women's and Newborn Health Program, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Mss Orr and Hewitt and Dr Campbell-Yeo); School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Campbell-Yeo and Ms Benoit); Centre for Pediatric Pain Research, IWK Health Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Drs Campbell-Yeo and McGrath and Ms Benoit); Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Campbell-Yeo); Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Stinson); Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Stinson); and Faculty of Science and Departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr McGrath).
authors.forename: Talia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campbell-Yeo
authors.forename: Britney
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Benoit
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stinson
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGrath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D059408:Pain Management; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010358:Patient Participation; D057240:Patient Preference; D000068997:Smartphone; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult