Internet use and perceptions of information reliability by parents in a neonatal intensive care unit

Objectives: To assess Internet use and perceptions of information reliability by parents in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design: A standardized questionnaire study. Results: A total of 100 parents were approached and 90% participated. In all, 79% owned a computer, 85.5% had Internet access, and 75.5% regularly spent > 1 to 2 hour/day on the computer. There was a significant reduction in the proportion of parents using the Internet after birth of their baby (before birth: nonmedical searches 84% and medical searches 47%; after birth: nonmedical searches 40% and medical searches 29%; p < 0.0001 and <0.03, respectively). Internet access was more likely in those with higher level of education (p = 0.006) and fluency in reading English (p = 0.05). In all, 80% considered the NICU doctors as a reliable source of medical information compared with 10% in the case of the Internet. Conclusions: Although a considerable proportion of parents use the Internet for medical information, many still view the information obtained as unreliable.