Majority of Families in Urban Areas Have Access to Internet
June 05, 2012
Washington, DC—In a study of mostly minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged families, 99 percent of participants reported having access to the Internet. More than half of the families were interested in receiving health information electronically, an important finding in the quest to improve access to health information. This represents a novel opportunity to engage a larger proportion of urban families in efforts to help improve their health through better education. The study, conducted in the Emergency Department at Children’s National Medical Center, is published in the June issue of Pediatric Emergency Care.
Of the 509 families in the study, 503 reported access to the Internet, either at home, work, or via their mobile device. More than half expressed an interest in receiving electronic health information from the emergency department, with email being the preferred method of delivery.
"This study demonstrates the high prevalence of Internet access in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, a change from previous studies," said Mohsen Saidinejad, MD, the study author and an emergency medicine physician at Children’s National. "It's an important first step as we try to improve health education and patient communication. Our ultimate goal is to improve compliance and health outcomes."
In the study, nearly one quarter of participants reported accessing the Internet through a mobile device. The researchers anticipate that Internet access on mobile devices will continue to increase as more people own smart phones.
Dr. Saidinejad and his colleagues at Children’s National are currently conducting further research to evaluate patient engagement by measuring the open rates of emails sent to caretakers from the emergency department, as well as the length of time spent on websites containing relevant health information.
More than 500 families participated in the study, and more than 80 percent of the participants were African American. Nearly 80 percent had public insurance. The study was conducted in November and December 2009.
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About Children's National Health System
Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is one of the nation’s Top 5 pediatric hospitals and, for a second straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded pediatric institution in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.
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