Parents' and carers' attitudes to the use of digital technology and its role in the care of children with complex needs.
Joanna Apps, Stephen Webb, Eve Hutton
PMID 40336719WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with complex needs use smartphones and tablets daily to find information, communicate with services, and support therapy.
They want digital tools to supplement face-to-face care, not replace it, citing concerns about losing personal contact and data security.
Key findings
01All respondents used a smartphone, tablet or computer in their caring role, with 95% using them to find information and 88% to communicate with services.
0291% of parents believed digital technology could play a bigger role in supporting them as carers, but they emphasized it should complement rather than replace face-to-face contact.
03Improved and more relevant content was the change parents saw as most useful (72%), followed by training in how to use different applications (51%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (43 participants) and recruited online, which likely skewed results towards parents who are already confident and frequent users of digital technology. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show how attitudes change over time or how digital interventions affect outcomes. The definition of 'technology' was very broad, so it is unclear if attitudes differ for specific tools like video calls versus text messages. The study was conducted pre-pandemic, so it may not reflect the current, more widespread adoption of telehealth.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the UK’s Higher Education Innovation Fund.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume all parents want to replace face-to-face therapy with digital options. The study found that while parents value digital tools for information and communication, they explicitly want these to supplement, not substitute, in-person contact with therapists.