The impact of a fellow-driven debriefing program after pediatric cardiac arrests

Abstract Background In the United States, post-cardiac arrest debriefing has increased, but historically it has occurred rarely in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A fellow-led debriefing tool was developed as a tool for fellow development, as well as to enhance communication amongst a mult...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jennifer Gillen, Monica L. Koncicki, Rebecca F. Hough, Kathryn Palumbo, Tarif Choudhury, Ariel Daube, Anita Patel, Amy Chirico, Cheryl Lin, Sirisha Yalamanchi, Linda Aponte-Patel, Anita I. Sen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2019-07-01
Series:BMC Medical Education
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12909-019-1711-y
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Summary:Abstract Background In the United States, post-cardiac arrest debriefing has increased, but historically it has occurred rarely in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A fellow-led debriefing tool was developed as a tool for fellow development, as well as to enhance communication amongst a multidisciplinary team. Methods A curriculum and debriefing tool for fellow facilitators was developed and introduced in a 41-bed cardiac and medical PICU. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were sent to multidisciplinary PICU providers to assess effectiveness of debriefings using newly-trained leaders, as well as changes in team communication. Results Debriefing occurred after 84% (63/75) of cardiac arrests post-intervention. Providers in various team roles participated in pre-intervention (129 respondents/236 invitations) and post-intervention (96 respondents /232 invitations) surveys. Providers reported that frequently occurring debriefings increased from 9 to 58%, pre- and post-intervention respectively (p < .0001). Providers reported frequent identification and discussion of learning points increased from 32% pre- to 63% post-intervention. In the 12 months post-intervention, 62% of providers agreed that the overall quality of communication during arrests had improved, and 61% would be more likely to request a debriefing after cardiac arrest. Conclusion The introduction of a fellow-led debriefing tool resulted in regularly performed debriefings after arrests. Despite post-intervention debriefings being led by newly-trained facilitators, the majority of PICU staff expressed satisfaction with the quality of debriefing and improvement in communication during arrests, suggesting that fellow facilitators can be effective debrief leaders.
ISSN:1472-6920