%0 Journal Article
%T Parents welcome follow
%A Britta S von Ungern-Sternberg
%A Harry E Smallbone
%A Thomas FE Drake-Brockman
%J Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
%@ 1448-0271
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0310057X19839941
%X Follow-up for ongoing management and monitoring of patients is important in clinical practice and research. While common, telephone follow-up is resource intensive and, in our experience, yields low success rates. Electronic communication using mobile devices including smartphones and tablets can provide efficient alternatives ¡ª including SMS (text), online forms and mobile apps. To assess attitudes towards electronic follow-up, we surveyed 642 parents and carers at Perth Children¡¯s Hospital, targeting demographics, device ownership and attitudes towards electronic follow-up. Mobile phone ownership was effectively universal. Almost all respondents were happy to communicate electronically with the hospital. Promisingly, 93.2% of respondents were happy to receive follow-up SMSs from the hospital and 80.3% were happy to reply to SMS questions. There was less enthusiasm regarding other modalities, with 59.9% happy to use a website and 69.0% happy to use a mobile app. The results support the introduction of electronic communication for follow-up in our paediatric population
%K Follow-up
%K smartphones
%K mobile apps
%K paediatrics
%K anaesthesia
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0310057X19839941