Intensive care unit nurses' understanding and experience of clinical debriefing: A focus group

Intensive care nurses frequently request clinical debriefing with a goal to learn, develop, and process the sometimes confronting and distressing work environment. The literature and application of clinical debriefing can be confusing and difficult to navigate with a paucity of evidence in the intensive care environment. This creates uncertainty for how and what events should be debriefed and what would be beneficial for nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, and experiences of clinical debriefing for nurses working in an ICU.

This study utilised an interpretative qualitative design involving semistructured focus groups. Nurses employed within the ICU of a large metropolitan hospital in Australia were invited to participate. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using an inductive thematic approach.

A total of 31 ICU nurses participated in five semistructured focus groups. Four themes were identified: (i) uncertainty of definition and logistics; (ii) clinical debriefing requires psychological safety; (iii) the value of clinical debriefing; and (iv) clinical debriefing as a form of organisational acknowledgement.

This study identified four themes that outlined the potential importance and meaning of clinical debriefing for ICU nurses. Despite several perceived barriers to implementing regular clinical debriefing, ICU nurses advocated for the opportunity participate in regular clinical debriefing for learning and support.