The Impact of Training on Teamwork and Simulated Debriefings on Real-Life Cardiopulmonary Arrest Events

Background Prior to the study, debriefings post-real-life cardiopulmonary arrest at the associated hospital were conducted only 3% of the time. However, debriefings post-cardiopulmonary arrests are recommended by multiple entities to improve team performance. Methods A course on teamwork, education on a structured method of debriefing, and debriefing practice via simulated role-play were provided to resuscitation team members. A prospective, mixed methods study including team member perceptions of debriefings and the number of debriefings conducted post-cardiopulmonary arrests were measured after the intervention. Results Debriefings increased from 3% to 39%. Debriefings were valued by all team members. Themes generated from team members’ comments included improvement, communication, and team function. Conclusions Debriefings post-real-life cardiopulmonary arrest events are feasible in a hospital setting. Teamwork principles training with simulated role-play of debriefing can impact the process of whether debriefings occur and are highly regarded by multidisciplinary team members.