Learning to parent from Google? Evaluation of available online health evidence for parents of preterm infants requiring neonatal intensive care

Abstract

The study aim was to identify and evaluate the reliability and quality of online resources for parents of preterm infants seeking health information about their infant using the DISCERN tool and Health on Net code. An Internet search ( www.google.com ) was used to identify websites for parents of preterm infants on their infants’ health and health issues. For each search, the top 100 “hits” were downloaded, yielding 1200 websites. After reviewing websites for exclusion criteria and duplicates, 197 websites remained and were analyzed. According to the DISCERN tool, the websites had a moderate reliability score (mean = 29.88, standard deviation = 4.88, range: 18–40), moderate treatment score (mean = 24.15, standard deviation = 5.79, range: 10–35), and moderate overall quality score (mean = 3.41, standard deviation = 0.89, range: 1–5). Only 24 (12.2%) websites had current Health on Net code approval and no other websites met full eligibility for certification. Overall, the reliability and quality of information available online to parents of preterm infants is lacking.