Effects of distinct prebriefing and debriefing on learning outcomes in advanced life support training for ward...

Effective training in advanced life support (ALS) is crucial for improving ward nurses' ALS performance and patient outcomes during in-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the comparative effects of prebriefing and debriefing strategies in ALS education remain unclear.

This study aimed to determine whether differences in prebriefing and debriefing strategies in ALS training result in significant variations in metacognition, self-efficacy, ALS performance, and learning satisfaction among novice ward nurses.

In this randomized controlled trial, 205 novice ward nurses were assigned to four ALS training groups. Groups 1 and 2 received prebriefing with a role-modeling video, whereas Groups 3 and 4 received prebriefing with self-directed learning. Instructor-led (Groups 1 and 3) or peer-led (Groups 2 and 4) debriefings followed the prebriefing methods. Participants completed baseline and post-intervention assessments that measured metacognition, self-efficacy. ALS performance and learning satisfaction was measured only at the posttest.

All groups demonstrated improved self-efficacy following ALS training. However, Groups 1 and 2, who received prebriefing with a role-modeling video, achieved greater gains in both metacognition and self-efficacy than Groups 3 and 4, regardless of the debriefing method. Among all groups, Group 1 showed the highest ALS performance and learning satisfaction, followed by Group 2.

This study highlights the effectiveness of structured prebriefing using a role-modeling video for enhancing critical ALS competencies among novice ward nurses. These findings provide evidence to inform the design of more effective simulation-based resuscitation training programs in clinical settings.