Medical staff's knowledge of delirium by occupation and the effectiveness of an on-demand e-learning.

Abstract

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the understanding of delirium among multidisciplinary medical staff and assess whether a brief e-learning course improved their knowledge on the topic.

Methods: A total of 611 medical staff members participated in the study, including 32 physicians, 393 nurses, 33 nursing assistants, 21 pharmacists, and 132 other multidisciplinary staff, which included non-clinical personnel. A 20-question delirium knowledge test was administered both before and after a 40-min, on-demand e-learning course.

Results: At baseline, there was limited understanding that delirium involves a disturbance of consciousness, can be triggered by physical illness or medications, and that few medications are recommended for its treatment. Furthermore, visual hallucinations were not widely recognized as a common type of hallucination in delirium. However, care strategies and non-pharmacological interventions for delirium were well understood even before the course. After the brief e-learning course, knowledge scores significantly increased, demonstrating a large effect size of 0.53. Physicians and pharmacists achieved higher overall knowledge scores after the course compared to other occupational groups.

Conclusion: Education and targeted dissemination efforts regarding the causes, diagnosis, and pharmacological treatment of delirium are essential for enhancing delirium knowledge among multidisciplinary staff. The leadership role of a "liaison" psychiatrist is pivotal for ensuring effective delirium care and fostering a team-based approach in clinical practice.