Implementation of an Innovative, Multiunit, Postevent Debriefing Program in a Children's Hospital

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Clinical resuscitation outcomes
• Medical education and training

Background:

• Postevent debriefing is recommended by major pediatric and cardiac organizations to enhance clinical performance.
• Existing debriefing programs are often limited to specific hospital departments.
• There is a lack of hospital-wide debriefing initiatives in pediatric settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a hospital-wide postevent debriefing program in a pediatric setting.
• To establish a standardized approach for data collection on debriefing activities.
• To share lessons learned for broader institutional adoption.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a multidisciplinary, interprofessional debriefing collaborative.
• Implementation of standardized postevent debriefings across multiple hospital areas.
• Development of a standardized form for data capture during debriefings.

Main Results:

• The emergency department conducted 153 debriefings (18% of 850 resuscitations).
• The neonatal intensive care unit performed 10 debriefings (9% of 107 resuscitations).
• The pediatric intensive care unit completed 5 debriefings (7% of 73 resuscitations).

Conclusions:

• Multiple departments have integrated hot and cold debriefings into continuous quality improvement.
• Dissemination of implementation tools and lessons learned can aid other institutions.
• Widespread adoption will facilitate scientific study of debriefing program outcomes.