Debriefing as a Response to Moral Distress.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Healthcare Ethics
• Clinical Ethics

Background:

• Moral distress negatively impacts healthcare professionals.
• Evidence-based interventions to mitigate moral distress are limited.
• Group debriefing is an adopted approach by clinical ethicists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To share and identify best practices for group debriefing.
• To develop guiding principles for debriefing interventions.
• To enhance debriefing approaches for healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• The study involved a 2020 UnConference discussion among clinical ethicists.
• Approaches to group debriefing were shared and reflected upon.
• Discussions included input from healthcare professionals.

Main Results:

• Limited academic literature exists on best practices for debriefing moral distress.
• The UnConference facilitated the sharing of diverse debriefing approaches.
• Foundations for advancing debriefing as an intervention were proposed.

Conclusions:

• Further development of group debriefing is needed.
• Establishing best practices will enhance debriefing effectiveness.
• This work aims to support clinical ethics in addressing moral distress.