Introduction: Debriefing, a structured reflective process used in high-stakes environments like aviation and the military has gained attention in healthcare for its potential to enhance team communication and support provider wellness. Debriefing can occur days to weeks after an event or within the same shift. This study evaluated whether implementing high-frequency debriefing among pediatric residents in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) improves perceived teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition and working conditions. Methods: From December 2024 to May 2025 second-year pediatric residents rotating through a tertiary PICU were enrolled in a prospective cohort study. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. Participants completed the validated Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) on the first and last day of a 4-week rotation. The SAQ includes five domains: teamwork climate, safety climate, job satisfaction, stress recognition and working conditions; higher scores indicate a more favorable perception. Residents in the intervention group were offered debriefing sessions daily or near-daily while the control group received no debriefing. Pre- and post-rotation SAQ scores were compared within and between groups. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: Twenty-eight residents participated (intervention group: n=16; control group: n=12). Most were categorical pediatric residents (89%), female (86%) and completing their second PICU rotation (75%). Baseline SAQ scores did not differ significantly between groups. Post-rotation scores improved across four of five domains in the intervention group. Notably, perceived working conditions significantly improved in the debriefing group compared to the control group median (IQR): 83 (75–83) vs 58 (50–75), p=0.039. Qualitative analysis of debriefing sessions revealed frequent themes of communication challenges, rounding stressors and self-care practices. Conclusions: High-frequency debriefing is associated with a significant improvement in perceived working conditions among pediatric residents rotating through the PICU. These findings support the integration of regular debriefing sessions as a feasible, low-resource intervention to enhance trainee well-being and workplace climate in high-acuity settings.
Rouchou et al. (Sun,) studied this question.