Journal Club Article: Eppich, W., & Cheng, A. (2015). Promoting Excellence and Reflective Learning in Simulation (PEARLS): development and rationale for a blended approach to health care simulation debriefing. Simulation in Healthcare, 10(2), 106-115.
About PEARLS
Promoting Excellence And Reflective Learning in Simulation [PEARLS] is an integrated conceptual framework for a blended approach to debriefing.
The PEARLS framework integrates:
- Learner self-assessment,
- Facilitating focused discussion, and
- Providing information in the form of directive feedback and/or teaching.
The aim of PEARLS debriefing tool is “the use of scripted language to guide the debriefing process in simulation-based education.
“PEARLS offers a structured framework adaptable for debriefing simulations with a variety in goals, including clinical decision making, improving technical skills, teamwork training, and interprofessional collaboration.”
A Rationale for Scripted Debriefing: A cognitive aid to support the debriefing process in clinical contexts and simulation based education.
A Rationale for a Blended Approach to Debriefing: “3 broad categories of learner self-assessment, focused facilitation to promote critical reflection and deeper understanding of events and providing information through directive performance feedback and/or focused teaching.
In merging these 3 broad educational strategies into a blended debriefing framework, we have kept key learning principles in mind, namely, that learning should be active, collaborative, and self-directed and learner-centered” (pg. 2).
PEARLS Debriefing Framework
“Debriefing script supports simulation educators in 3 main areas as follows:
- Setting the stage for the debriefing;
- Organizing the debriefing to include initial participant reactions followed by a description of relevant case elements, an analysis of positive and suboptimal areas of performance using the PEARLS framework to select a debriefing approach, and finally a summary of lessons learned; and
- Formulating questions that empower educators to share clearly their honest point of view about events.”
PEARLS outlines 4 distinct phases of the debriefing process:
- Reactions phase
- Description phase
- Analysis
- Summary: Learner or Educator guided
Resources
Rudolph, J. W., Simon, R., Rivard, P., Dufresne, R. L., & Raemer, D. B. (2007). Debriefing with good judgment: combining rigorous feedback with genuine inquiry. Anesthesiology Clinics, 25(2), 361-376.
Fanning, R. M., & Gaba, D. M. (2007). The role of debriefing in simulation-based learning. Simulation in healthcare, 2(2), 115-125.