Implementing debriefing after cardiac arrest: benefits and challenges
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Implementing debriefing after cardiac arrest: benefits and challenges

Rachel Howard Senior lecturer in nursing, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the benefits of debriefing following challenging clinical situations

  • To increase your awareness of various approaches to debriefing that can be used in healthcare settings

  • To consider how you could enhance the implementation of debriefing in your area of practice

Healthcare professionals, including nurses, will be involved in the care and management of patients in cardiac arrest. This highly stressful and demanding situation can lead to breakdowns in communication, difficulty in decision-making and emotional distress for members of the healthcare team. Debriefing is a recommended tool that team members can use to acknowledge what went well, what could be improved and areas for learning or development. However, debriefing is often not prioritised due to pressures in clinical practice. This article discusses the benefits of debriefing and outlines some of the approaches and tools that may be used. The author argues that by recognising the importance of debriefing after cardiac arrests in the hospital setting and committing to best practices, nurses can be better prepared for the challenges of resuscitation and improve patient outcomes.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12273

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

R.J.Howard@ljmu.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Howard R (2024) Implementing debriefing after cardiac arrest: benefits and challenges. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12273

Published online: 01 July 2024

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