Bolstering clinician resilience through an interprofessional, web-based nightly debriefing program for emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has instigated significant changes for health care systems. With clinician burnout rising, efforts to promote clinician resilience are essential. Within this quality improvement project, an interprofessional debriefing program (Brigham Resilience in COVID-19-pandemic Emergency Forum-BRIEF) was developed within two emergency departments (EDs). An interprofessional group of ED providers led optional, nightly debriefings using a web-based portal to connect with ED clinicians for six weeks. In total, 81 interprofessional staff participated in nightly debriefings with a 47% attendance rate. On average, three participants attended the BRIEF nightly (range = 2-8) to discuss the challenges of social distancing, scarce resources, high acuity, clinician burnout and mental health. Participation increased as rates of COVID-19 positive patients rose. Debriefing leaders provided ED leadership with summaries of clinician experiences and suggestions for improvements. Feedback supported quality improvement initiatives within the ED and greater mental health support for staff. Clinicians and administrators provided positive feedback regarding the program's impact on clinician morale, and clinical processes that promoted the safety and quality of patient care. Optional debriefing with receptive departmental leadership may be a successful tool to support clinicians and hospitals during critical events.

The concerns of oncology professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey II

“…A routinely scheduled time for a 'team huddle' or debriefing program for all staff in the emergency department has been shown to be well received and beneficial for both junior and senior team members alike during these challenging times. 15 Secondly, the personal impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of oncology professionals has been emphasised by the findings of survey II. Ensuring safe work conditions, including access to personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination are paramount (also see Supplementary Figure S2, available at https://doi.…”

An investigation of psychological responses to COVID-19 in Irish healthcare workers: longitudinal quantitative and nested qualitative study

“…COVID-19 is a dynamic event that is likely to show change in terms of reactions, impact and help seeking over time. While there are a number of studies of supports ongoing (e.g., Azizoddin et al ., 2020 ; Weiner et al ., 2020 ), and systematic reviews of approaches that may prove helpful ( Muller et al ., 2020 ; Pollock et al ., 2020 ), there is a continued need for approaches to be data driven, useful, inclusive of specific workplace issues, and responsive to the needs of HCWs as events change.…”

Urgência e emergência em tempos de COVID-19 – uma revisão integrativa da literatura

“…Outra grande estratégia utilizada foi a telemedicina associada à dupla triagem, que reduziu o contato do médico com os pacientes menos graves de COVID-19, diminuindo o número de contaminações e a sobrecarga dos profissionais de saúde que atuam em hospitais de urgência e emergência Azizoddin, Gray, Szyld, 2020).…”