Evaluation of website for parents of children with Juvenile Arthritis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of a web-based tool for parents of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) coupled with standard care versus standard care alone: A randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
119790
Contact name
Stanton Newman
Contact email
Research summary
Previous research suggests that even in a well-supported clinical service, parents can have difficulties in managing their child’s Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), and that tailored information and support is necessary. This study focuses on the potential role of the internet to support parents of children with JIA, when used alongside standard clinical care. Health is one of the most visited areas of the internet with 300 million unique visitors per month in the USA. This access is unregulated and often not validated. Although there are a number of JIA websites currently available; most of these are restricted to giving information only; they do not provide techniques for dealing with the daily issues in JIA and to the best of our knowledge have not gone through systematic development or formal evaluation. In response to this, the Sparks CHARMS JIA Website for Parents has been systematically developed with healthcare professionals and parents of children with JIA. This study evaluates the benefits of having access to this website in combination with standard care when compared to standard care alone. This study will allow us to determine the value of making an authorised website available on a larger scale and encouraging parents to access it as part of managing their child’s condition.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0288
Date of REC Opinion
14 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion