Table 2.

Results from questions assessing the way in which parents used the internet and their experiences in doing so

Demographic/question	Responses (N)	Answers	Sample p (95 % CI)
How did you find websites on scoliosis?	85	12× friend	0.14 (0.08, 0.23)
		2× physician/surgeon	0.02 (0.00, 0.08)
		70× search engine	0.82 (0.73, 0.90)
		1× another patient	0.01 (0.00, 0.06)
Search engine used	62	1× auntminnie.com	0.02 (0.00, 0.09)
		57× Google	0.92 (0.82, 0.97)
		1× Google/Yahoo	0.02 (0.00, 0.09)
		1× Google scholar	0.02 (0.00, 0.09)
		2× Yahoo	0.03 (0.00, 0.11)
Was the internet helpful?	103	79 = yes	0.77 (0.67, 0.84)
		24 = no	0.23 (0.16, 0.33)
How helpful was the internet?	97	Average 58 (range 0–100)
Did the internet search create more anxiety?	132	38 = yes	0.29 (0.21, 0.37)
		94 = no	0.71 (0.63, 0.79)
Did you encounter confusing websites?	104	73 = no	0.70 (0.60, 0.79)
		31 = yes	0.30 (0.21, 0.40)
Could you recommend sites after your search?	90	53 = no	0.59 (0.48, 0.69)
		37 = yes	0.41 (0.31, 0.52)
Did the search prompt more questions for this visit?	107	68 = no	0.64 (0.54, 0.73)
		39 = yes	0.36 (0.27, 0.46)
Are you interested in an Irish scoliosis site?	138	8 = no	0.06 (0.03, 0.11)
		130 = yes	0.94 (0.89, 0.98)
Were you satisfied with information provided at last clinic visit?	126	10 = neutral	0.08 (0.04, 0.14)
		1 = not satisfied at all	0.01 (0.00, 0.04)
		4 = somewhat dissatisfied	0.03 (0.01, 0.08)
		41 = somewhat satisfied	0.33 (0.25, 0.42)
		70 = totally satisfied	0.56 (0.46, 0.64)
Reasons for searching the internet
To gain a clearer explanation	56	56 = yes
To find additional information	84	84 = yes
To answer further questions	33	33 = yes
To search for a visual explanation	50	50 = yes

Test and CI for one proportion is based on the number of answers (i.e. excludes the number of blank responses)

All sample p values and CI rounded to the nearest two decimal places