Abstract
Introduction Although several eHealth interventions have been shown to be effective, little is known about the actual use of these interventions among patients in real life.
Aim of the study The aim were to describe and analyse website-use among children with asthma receiving online care through the virtual asthma clinic (VAC) and to develop recommendations for further use of the VAC in paediatric asthma care.
Methods Observational study conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of the VAC. Website log-data of the participants were analysed in retrospect: activity (page views of information pages and treatment plan), communication with the medical team (frequency and content of messages) and login (frequency and duration) were compared between different age groups (6-11 years and 12-16 years).
Results 105 children (mean age 11.2 years (± SD 2.9 years; 61% male) were included. Younger participants or parents accessed the (general) information pages significantly more often than teenagers (median page views 10 versus 4, P=.003). The median number of messages was also significantly higher (median 4 versus 2, P=.04) in the younger group. No significant difference in login frequency was found between the two age groups, but the login-frequency decreased significantly within both groups during the 16-month study period.
Conclusions The VAC was used significantly different by teenagers and younger children and/or their parents regarding the need of information and communication with the medical team. Younger children used the information and communication modules more often in comparison to teenagers. These differences should be taken into account while designing an eHealth intervention for children.
- Copyright ©the authors 2016
