Health Care and Health Information Access by Parents With Young Children in Regional Queensland.
Catherine McCosker, Gavin Beccaria, Lisa Beccaria and 1 others
PMID 40444670WHAT IT FOUND
Parents in regional Queensland mostly started online searches when their child was unwell, then used GPs, phone health services, family or social media.
They trusted government, hospital and GP sources, but did not search for health-promotion information.
Key findings
01Of 28 completed survey responses analysed, 85% of parents had used the internet for their child's health information, and 89% had accessed a GP in the previous year.
02Most interviewees began online searching, then checked with friends, phone health services or pharmacists, and saw the GP unless the child was an emergency.
03No interviewee reported discussing their internet searches with their GP during a consultation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and self-selected: 28 survey responses were analysed and only 11 parents were interviewed. The participants were more educated, less likely to hold a concession or health care card and much less likely to identify as First Nations than the wider community, so the findings do not represent disadvantaged families. All interviewees were female, reported their children were generally well, and no life-threatening concerns were noted, so it says little about fathers or families with serious illness. Most surveyed parents reported good health literacy, which limits what the study can say about parents who need help reading health information. The study reports parents' experiences and search habits, not child health outcomes, so it cannot show that any source of information improves health. The sample was too small to compare inner regional and outer regional areas.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study formed part of a PhD project; no external funder is stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these parents' search habits as typical of regional families. The sample was small, mostly highly educated and employed, and underrepresented concession-card holders and First Nations families.