TY  - JOUR
AU  - Krewulak, Karla
AU  - Strayer, Kathryn
AU  - Jaworska, Natalia
AU  - Spence, Krista
AU  - Foster, Nadine
AU  - Kupsch, Scotty
AU  - Sauro, Khara
AU  - Fiest, Kirsten M
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/2/20
TI  - Evaluation of the Quality of Delirium Website Content for Patient and Family Education: Cross-Sectional Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e53087
VL  - 27
KW  - education
KW  - health information
KW  - internet
KW  - delirium
KW  - patient
KW  - caregiver
KW  - brain lesions
KW  - confusion
KW  - inattentiveness
KW  - disorientation
KW  - family education
KW  - information seeking
KW  - readability
KW  - high-quality websites
KW  - accessibility
AB  - Background: Patients and families who have experienced delirium may seek information about delirium online, but the quality and reliability of online delirium-related websites are unknown. Objective: This study aimed to identify and evaluate online delirium-related websites that could be used for patient and family education. Methods: We searched Microsoft Bing, Google, and Yahoo using the keywords “delirium” and the misspelled “delerium” to identify delirium-related websites created to inform patients, families, and members of the public about delirium. The quality of identified delirium-related website content was evaluated by 2 authors using the validated DISCERN tool and the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) benchmark criteria. Readability was assessed with the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, the Flesch Reading Ease score, and the Flesch Kincaid grade level. Each piece of website content was assessed for its delirium-related information using a checklist of items co-designed by a working group, which included patients, families, researchers, and clinicians. Results: We identified 106 websites targeted toward patients and families, with most hospital-affiliated (21/106, 20%) from commercial websites (20/106, 19%), government-affiliated organizations (19/106, 18%), or from a foundation or advocacy group (16/106, 15%). The median time since the last content update was 3 (IQR 2-5) years. Most websites’ content (101/106, 95%) was written at a reading level higher than the recommended grade 6 level. The median DISCERN total score was 42 (IQR 33-50), with scores ranging from 20 (very poor quality) to 78 (excellent quality). The median delirium-related content score was 8 (IQR 6-9), with scores ranging from 1 to 12. Many websites lacked information on the short- and long-term outcomes of delirium as well as how common it is. The median JAMA benchmark score was 1 (IQR 1-3), indicating the quality of the websites’ content had poor transparency. Conclusions: We identified high-quality websites that could be used to educate patients, families, or the public about delirium. While most delirium-related website content generally meets quality standards based on DISCERN and JAMA benchmark criteria, high scores do not always ensure patient and family-friendliness. Many of the top-rated delirium content were text-heavy and complex in layout, which could be overwhelming for users seeking clear, concise information. Future efforts should prioritize the development of websites with patients and families, considering usability, accessibility, and cultural relevance to ensure they are truly effective for delirium education. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e53087
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/53087
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39977019
DO  - 10.2196/53087
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/53087
ER  -