Effectiveness of Peer-Led vs. Instructor-Led Debriefing in High-Fidelity Simulation-Based Healthcare Education: A...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Learning Sciences

Background:

• High-fidelity simulation (HFS) significantly enhances medical training.
• Debriefing is crucial for simulation-based education.
• Peer-led debriefing (PLD) is a potential alternative to traditional instructor-led debriefing (ILD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of PLD versus ILD in improving learner outcomes within HFS.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) following PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines.
• Searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases.
• Included six studies (five quasi-experimental, one RCT) with 476 participants.
• Assessed risk of bias using RoB 2 and pooled outcomes with random-effects models.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found between PLD and ILD for key outcomes.
• Results for Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH) and organized debriefing showed non-significant differences.
• The overall certainty of the evidence was low to moderate, with high heterogeneity (I² > 80%) observed in most outcomes.

Conclusions:

• PLD and ILD demonstrate comparable effectiveness in HFS-based medical education.
• The current evidence base is limited and heterogeneous, necessitating cautious interpretation.
• High-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are required to confirm findings and explore long-term impacts.