Impact of prebriefing on emotions in a high-fidelity simulation session: A randomized controlled study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Psychology in Medicine

Background:

• Intense emotions are common in medical simulation and affect performance.
• Understanding the impact of prebriefing on learner emotions is crucial for optimizing training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of standardized prebriefing on learner emotions during high-fidelity simulation (HFS).
• To assess the influence of prebriefing on the duration of debriefing phases.

Main Methods:

• Prospective randomized controlled study with 128 physicians allocated to standardized prebriefing (SP) or no prebriefing (NSP) groups.
• Emotions assessed using the Affect Grid scale based on the circumplex model of affect.
• Debriefing followed the «good judgment» approach; debriefing times were recorded.

Main Results:

• High-fidelity simulation sessions were experienced as pleasant with increased alertness, which persisted through debriefing.
• No significant differences in emotional experience between SP and NSP groups were observed.
• The no prebriefing (NSP) group showed significantly longer total debriefing and understanding phase durations.

Conclusions:

• High-fidelity simulation is perceived positively, with no specific emotional impact from prebriefing.
• Standardized prebriefing appears to contribute to a more streamlined and efficient debriefing process.