Paternal and Maternal Information and Communication Technology Usage as Their Very Low Birth Weight Infants Transition Home From the NICU |
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| Authors: | Hyung Nam Kim Craig Garfield Young Seok Lee |
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| Affiliation: | 1. College of Nursing, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USAhyungnam.kim@utk.edu;3. Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA;4. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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| Abstract: | Little is known about how differently mothers and fathers of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants use information and communication technology (ICT), especially during the vulnerable transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home. This study aims to qualitatively compare and contrast the two groups’ usage of technology. In-depth, semistructured phone interviews were conducted with 25 parents of 16 VLBW infants who had been hospitalized in the NICU. Grounded theory facilitated the understanding of interview data. This article discusses the patterns that emerged around the use of ICT between the two groups and discusses the implications for health information seeking, privacy and misinformation, online social networking, learning technology, choosing a health care provider, and health care communication. |
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