Critical Event Debriefing

Critical event debriefing is valued in medicine for its role in education and learning (JAMA 2014;312:2333-4; Anesthesiology 2014;120:160-171; Circulation 2018;138:e82-e122; Arch Intern Med 2008;168:1063-9), quality assurance (Qual Saf Health Care 2005;14:e25), multidisciplinary team training (Ann Surg 2014;259:403-10), and many other domains. It has also been embraced by other high-stakes industries (Cureus 6: e174). Perioperative critical events (such as massive hemorrhage, anaphylaxis, or cardiac arrest) can be both rare to the individual provider and common (in aggregate) across large health systems (N Engl J Med 2013;368:246-53). This combination only adds to the potential impact these events can have on perioperative teams. A growing body of research suggests that only a fraction of actual perioperative critical events are followed by any form of debriefing (Anesthesiology 2019;130:1039-48). While the barriers to debriefing can vary (e.g., production pressure, limited...