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E-learning helped parents correctly diagnose infantile hemangiomas
Parents who participated in an Internet-based e-learning module were able to correctly diagnose an infantile hemangioma and evaluate the need for care, according to recent study results.
Researchers in the Netherlands studied 158 parents of children aged 1 year or younger participating in an infantile hemangioma (IH) e-learning intervention between October 2010 and September 2012. Parents were referred through a link on the Dutch Patient Support Group for Hemangiomas and Vascular Anomalies Internet homepage, by their child’s youth or primary health caretaker or through Internet surfing. The module was based on national medical guidelines for IH “to teach parents to differentiate between IH and vascular formations, to recognize IH at risk of complications and to appreciate the need for assessment by a specialist.”
A questionnaire was completed by parents before and after e-learning. A dermatologist answered the same four questions by electronic consultation after viewing a photograph of the child and information regarding the growth pattern.
The questions were:
- Is the skin abnormality of your child an IH?
- Is the IH at risk for complications?
- Is assessment by a specialist required?
- Is urgent assessment by a specialist required?
Correct diagnosis of the IH had a concordance of 89% prior to e-learning and 96% after e-learning between the parents and the dermatologist (P=.002). Questions on assessing complication risk, need to see a specialist and urgency had concordances of 42%, 40% and 63%, respectively, prior to e-learning and 79%, 75% and 84%, respectively, (P<.001) after e-learning.
Study limitations included that the participating parents had a relatively high education level (69%) compared with the Dutch general population (32%), and that people without Internet access were excluded, according to the researchers.
“Involving parents in the care of IH through an e-learning module might result in earlier presentation and improved treatment,” the researchers concluded. “This could possibly prevent complications and influence the costs and efficiency of IH management.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.