Helping the helpers: debriefing following an adverse incident

Abstract

A significant proportion of healthcare workers will experience some degree of critical incident stress following adverse events. Individuals’ responses range from common, uncomplicated stress‐related reactions to the more complex post‐traumatic stress disorder. Under‐reporting of clinical incidents results mainly from fear of litigation and disciplinary action. Debriefing should be an essential component of critical incident stress management. Learning objectives: To be aware of how healthcare staff can be supported effectively following an adverse incident. To learn about the seven phases of the Mitchell debriefing model. Ethical issues: Disclosure of adverse events all too often results in disciplinary action: this ‘blame culture’ is to the detriment of patients and staff. Please cite this article as: Vaithilingam N, Jain S, Davies D. Helping the helpers: debriefing following an adverse incident. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2008;10:251–256.