Communication content during debriefing in simulation-based medical education: An analytic framework and mixed-methods analysis

Debriefing is an indispensable component of simulation-based medical education, and it has great potential for contributions to reflective learning. Little is known about the relevance of communication during debriefings. We developed a category framework to assess the communication content of debriefings, which we used to analyze possible relationships to participant learning outcomes. We deductively and inductively developed a category framework for qualitative content analysis of debriefings. We coded 20 debriefings using this framework, and correlated debriefing frequency with learning outcomes (i.e. engagement, satisfaction, individual and team learning success). The category framework comprised 9 main and 81 subcategories (48 debriefers, 27 participants, 6 simulated patients), which yielded good intercoder agreement. Debriefers and participants communicated equally using mostly advocacy, inquiry, illustration, and confirmation. Debriefer questions and participant inputs were positively related to learning outcomes. In contrast, guess-what-I-am-thinking, apologies, observations, use of materials, participant descriptions, simple repetition of statements, and evaluation by other participants were not positively associated with learning outcomes. This study provides important new information about communication content during debriefings. The association between communication content and learning outcomes appears particularly relevant to further enhance efficacy of debriefings and simulation-based medical education.