Background: Online resources are a source of information for parents of premature babies when their baby is discharged from hospital.
Objectives: To explore what topics parents deemed important after returning home from hospital with their premature baby and to evaluate the quality of existing websites that provide information for parents post-discharge.
Methods: In stage 1, 23 parents living in Northern Ireland participated in three focus groups and shared their information and support needs following the discharge of their infant(s). In stage 2, a World Wide Web (WWW) search was conducted using Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines. Websites meeting pre-specified inclusion criteria were reviewed using two website assessment tools and by calculating a readability score. Website content was compared to the topics identified by parents in the focus groups.
Results: Five overarching topics were identified across the three focus groups: life at home after neonatal care, taking care of our family, taking care of our premature baby, baby's growth and development and help with getting support and advice. Twenty-nine sites were identified that met the systematic web search inclusion criteria. Fifteen (52%) covered all five topics identified by parents to some extent and 9 (31%) provided current, accurate and relevant information based on the assessment criteria.
Conclusion: Parents reported the need for information and support post-discharge from hospital. This was not always available to them, and relevant online resources were of varying quality. Listening to parents needs and preferences can facilitate the development of high-quality, evidence-based, parent-centred resources.
Keywords: focus groups; parents; post-discharge; premature; web search.
© 2018 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.