Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35518370›Full record

ReviewBMJ simulation & technology enhanced learning2020

Managing psychological safety in debriefings: a dynamic balancing act.

Michaela Kolbe, Walter Eppich, Jenny Rudolph, Michael Meguerdichian, Helen Catena, Amy Cripps, Vincent Grant, Adam Cheng

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in BMJ simulation & technology enhanced learning, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 84 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
84citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

84 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Observational
  8. Moulage safety practice around the world: a framework for best practice.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2026
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Addressing under-appreciated risk in healthcare simulation.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review

24 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Michaela KolbeSimulation Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6654-6370
Walter EppichNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Jenny RudolphCenter for Medical Simulation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Michael MeguerdichianHarlem Hospital Center, New York City, New York, USA.
Helen CatenaKidSIM Simulation Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Amy CrippsKidSIM Simulation Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Vincent GrantKidSIM Simulation Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Adam ChengKidSIM Simulation Program, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Debriefings should promote reflection and help learners make sense of events. Threats to psychological safety can undermine reflective learning conversations and may inhibit transfer of key lessons from simulated cases to the general patient care context. Therefore, effective debriefings require high degrees of psychological safety-the perception that it is safe to take interpersonal risks and that one will not be embarrassed, rejected or otherwise punished for speaking their mind, not knowing or asking questions. The role of introductions, learning contracts and prebriefing in establishing psychological safety is well described in the literature. How to maintain psychological safety, while also being able to identify and restore psychological safety during debriefings, is less well understood. This review has several aims. First, we provide a detailed definition of psychological safety and justify its importance for debriefings. Second, we recommend specific strategies debriefers can use throughout the debriefing to build and maintain psychological safety. We base these recommendations on a literature review and on our own experiences as simulation educators. Third, we examine how debriefers might actively address perceived breaches to restore psychological safety. Re-establishing psychological safety after temporary threats or breaches can seem particularly daunting. To demystify this process, we invoke the metaphor of a 'safe container' for learning; a space where learners can feel secure enough to work at the edge of expertise without threat of humiliation. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and implications, particularly with respect to faculty development.

Indexed as

communicationdebriefingfaculty developmentpsychological safetysimulation-based education

Identifiers

PMID35518370
PMCPMC8936758

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.