Co-debriefing for Simulation-based Education

Adam Cheng, Janice Palaganas, Walter Eppich, Jenny Rudolph, Traci Robinson, Vincent Grant

As part of simulation-based education, postevent debriefing provides an opportunity for learners to critically reflect on the simulated experience, with the goal of identifying areas in need of reinforcement and correcting areas in need of improvement. The art of debriefing is made more challenging when 2 or more educators must facilitate a debriefing together (ie, co-debriefing) in an organized and coordinated fashion that ultimately enhances learning. As the momentum for incorporating simulation-based health care education continues to grow, the need for faculty development in the area of co-debriefing has become essential. In this article, we provide a practical toolbox for co-facilitators by discussing the advantages of co-debriefing, describing some of the challenges associated with co-debriefing, and offering practical approaches and strategies to overcome the most common challenges associated with co-debriefing in the context of simulation-based health care education.