Critical Incident Debriefing: Impact of a Teaching Module for OB/GYN Residents

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals commonly confront suffering and death as well as other unique sources of stress. The cumulative effects of these experiences can be psychologically taxing, particularly on trainees. Debriefing has been proposed as a way to alleviate work-related stress. Minimal data exist about the role of debriefing during medical training. METHODS: Eligibility included all OBGYN residents at a single academic hospital. Participants completed surveys immediately prior to and following a 2-hour teaching module on critical incidents in medicine. Using a Likert scale, participants responded to statements that evaluated their perceptions of CI debriefing, familiarity with identifying CI, and comfort with post-incident debriefing. Responses were analyzed using a paired samples t test. RESULTS: Twelve participants were enrolled; 46% reported having experienced a CI. Following the teaching module, participants showed increased comfort identifying CI (P=.025), initiating a debriefing (P=.005) and facilitating a debriefing (P=.003). Following the teaching module, participants reported a stronger belief that post-incident debriefing is useful (P=.046), that learning to lead a debriefing is useful to their work (P=.017), and that they could identify situations where team members might require further interventions beyond debriefing (P=.007). DISCUSSION: Incidents experienced as critical by OBGYN residents are common. Our teaching module may positively affect how residents confront and process CI. Future studies are needed to assess the long-term impact of debriefing on resident wellbeing and patient care.