Understanding Delirium.ca: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of an Internet-Based Educational Intervention for the Public and Care Partners

Background/Objectives: Delirium, an acute cognitive disturbance, is often unrecognized by family or friend care partners, contributing to delayed interventions and negative health outcomes. UnderstandingDelirium.ca is an e-learning lesson developed to address this gap by improving delirium knowledge among the public, patients, and family/friend care partners. Our objective was to evaluate the acceptability, intention to use, and perceived impact of Understanding Delirium among public users. Methods: A convergent mixed-methods evaluation was conducted using a brief post-lesson survey. The survey included the Net Promoter Score (NPS), the short-form Information Assessment Method for patients and consumers (IAM4all-SF), and an open-text feedback item. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize IAM4all-SF responses, assessing perceived relevance, understandability, intended use, and anticipated benefit. Open-text comments were analyzed thematically by two independent reviewers who reached consensus through discussion. Subgroup analysis of qualitative themes was performed by age, gender, and NPS category. Results: Among 629 survey respondents, over 90% of respondents agreed that the lesson was relevant, understandable, likely to be used, and beneficial. The NPS was rated ‘excellent’ (score of 71), and lesson uptake included over 7,000 unique users with a 35% completion rate. Qualitative analysis revealed themes of high educational value, emotional resonance, and perceived gaps in prior healthcare communication. Respondents emphasized the lesson’s clarity, intent to share, and potential for wider dissemination. Conclusions: UnderstandingDelirium.ca is a promising, guideline-aligned digital intervention that can enhance delirium literacy and reduce care partner distress. It may support prevention, earlier recognition, improved preparedness, and integration into clinical workflows and care partner education efforts.