Psychological debriefing for healthcare providers involved in adverse events - Protocol for a systematic review

Summary

Healthcare providers involved in adverse events in which the patient is the primary victim are often referred to as second victims. These second victims may experience strong emotional reactions after the adverse event. Stress reactions can resolve shortly after the adverse event in many people, for others the reactions will last a long time and for some the reactions will be stronger over time. This can lead to sickness absence and dropout. Healthcare providers as second victims may need support and follow-up to prevent event-related consequences. Different versions of psychological debriefing have long been popular interventions offered to, among others, healthcare providers who have been involved in adverse events.

Different researchers have provisionally disagreed on whether psychological debriefing is effective. There is therefore a need for summarized research of the literature on this topic. This systematic review aims to determine the effects of psychological debriefing for healthcare providers who have been involved in adverse events.

We will conduct a systematic literature search in relevant databases. Titles and summaries, and then full text of relevant references, will be assessed against the selection criteria. We will use EPPI-Reviewer in the selection process, including various machine learning functionalities to streamline the selection process. Then we will extract and analyse data from the included studies, assess their methodological quality with validated checklists and tools. Our confidence in the results, including transferability to the Norwegian context, will also be assessed. The body of evidence we identify will be compiled and presented in a report written in Norwegian.