Episode 164.0 – Debriefing
A discussion with Drs. McNamara and Leifer on the essentials and beyond of debriefing
Hosts:
Brian Gilberti, MD
Audrey Tse, MD
Show Notes
TAKE HOME POINTS
- Debriefing after a clinical case in the ED is a way to have an interprofessional, reflective conversation with a focus on improving for the next patient. We can debrief routine cases, challenging cases, or even cases that go well.
- Follow a structure when leading a debrief.
- The prebrief sets ground rules and informs the team that the debrief is optional and will only take 3-5 minutes.
- Introduce names and roles
- Then give a one-liner about what happened in the case, followed by a plus/ delta: address what went well and why, then how to improve
- Finally, wrap up with take home points
- Pitfalls to watch out for in clinical debriefing include:
- Avoid siloing or alienating any learners. Learn from all your colleagues on your team- it’s less about medicine and more about interprofessional and systems issues
- Don’t pick on individual performance. It’s not about shaming- it’s about improving patient care
- Avoid “guess what I’m thinking” questions; ask real questions
- Proceed with caution in order to dampen or avoid psychological trauma and second victim syndrome. The learner may ask “was this my fault?”; we never want a learner to feel this way. Ask, what systems supported or did not support you today? Talk about what happened. Avoid shame and blame.
- Have the right values and do it for the right reasons.
ADDITIONAL TOOLS
