Feasibility and Acceptability of a Chaplain-Led Post-Code Debrief Intervention

Health Personnel Attitude

The objective of this study is to increase the frequency and effectiveness of post code debriefs by piloting a novel intervention tool and partnering clinicians with board certified chaplains trained to facilitate group processes. A post code debrief will involve two aspects: a technical debrief (a discussion to process the technical, procedural aspects of a medical code/cardiopulmonary arrest), which will be led by a clinician, and an emotional debrief (a discussion to process the emotional, existential impact of a medical code/cardiopulmonary arrest), which will be led by a chaplain.

Technical debriefs already are a familiar part of practice; the novel portion of this study is the introduction of the chaplain-led portion of emotional debrief. Also novel is the combination of the technical and emotional debriefs. As part of the study debrief, participants are asked to be present for and engaged in the discussion reviewing the code event, though there is no expectation or requirement for providing verbal input. Data about the content of the code debrief and the interventions provided during the debrief will be recorded by the Code Blue Chaplain in REDCap. Data about participants will be self-reported in their REDCap survey responses. Clinicians who participate in resuscitation attempts during cardio-pulmonary arrests (CPA) experience psychological, emotional, and moral distress, including feelings of anxiety, grief, and regret. These experiences directly impact feelings of burnout, which is a leading cause in staff turnover. While debriefing soon after the experience has been shown to increase positive coping and reduce acute stress, post code debriefs are rarely conducted. Current models rely on physicians to facilitate debriefs and do not provide a standard tool. Physicians often feel untrained and uneasy with this role. To address these findings, we seek to implement a standardized post-code debriefing process that is co-led by a clinician and a chaplain. Specific Aim 1: Evaluate and describe current stress of clinical staff who participate in CPA events. During the first six months of the grant period, a staff chaplain will respond to all Code Blues. The chaplain will recruit at least five clinical staff participants from at least two different disciplines to complete surveys one-week and six-weeks after the CPA event. Specific Aim 2: Pilot intervention to debrief CPA experience. During the second six months of the grant period, the research team will pilot the new debrief tool on the Cardiac Medical Critical Care Unit (CMCC). The designated Code Blue Chaplain will respond to all code blues on CMCC. The Code Blue Chaplain will be responsible for establishing the time and location of the Post Code Debrief, providing the technical debrief tool to a qualified clinician, and facilitating the emotional debrief following the semi-structured debrief tool. The Code Blue Chaplain will recruit participants to complete follow up surveys one-week and six-weeks following the CPA event. Specific Aim 3: Assess feasibility and acceptability. Describe team member experience. During the final year of the grant period, the research team will expand the intervention tool throughout IU Health Methodist Hospital. The Code Blue Chaplain will respond to all overhead code blue pages and proceed with the intervention and recruiting as stated above.

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