Tiffany Tolden Doctoral Project Defense

COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Sharisse Hebert

TITLE: IMPROVING POST-RESUSCITATION DEBRIEFING COMPLETION RATES IN AN ACUTE CARE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

ABSTRACT: Background: Post-resuscitation debriefing improves team dynamics, CPR quality, and can identify systemic barriers to quality care delivery, yet completion rates remain low in acute care settings. Purpose: This quality improvement project evaluated whether a one-hour training session for rapid response nurses and charge nurses, combined with weekly reminder emails, would increase completion rates of post-resuscitation debriefings and influence nurses’ perceptions of their usefulness in an acute care community hospital. PICOT Questions: Will a one-hour training session (I) with rapid response nurses and unit charge nurses (P), along with a weekly reminder system (I), increase the completion rate (O) of post-resuscitation debriefing in an acute care community hospital in three months (T)? Will a one-hour training session (I) with rapid response nurses and unit charge nurses change (P) the perception of post-resuscitation debriefing’s usefulness (O) in an acute care community hospital? Theoretical Framework: The PDSA framework was utilized to guide this quality improvement project due to its structured methodology and wide acceptance in healthcare quality improvement. Methodology: A pre-post, quasi-experimental design was implemented at a 293-bed acute care community hospital.  Forty nurses participated in a one-hour virtual educational session followed by weekly automated reminder emails. Pre- and post-surveys (n=18) assessed perceptions of debriefing usefulness, while debriefing completion rates were audited over three months and compared to the same period in the prior year. Statistical analyses included chi-square testing for completion rates and Wilcoxon signed-rank testing for perception data. Results: Post-intervention analysis demonstrated a significant increase in debriefing completion rates (?² (1) = 31.65, p < .001). Additionally, participants reported a significant improvement in perceived usefulness of post-resuscitation debriefing (V = 4.00, z = -2.67, p = .008). Conclusion: A one-hour educational session combined with structured reminders significantly increased both the rate of post-resuscitation debriefing and nurses’ perceptions of its value. These findings highlight the potential for low-resource strategies to improve adherence to post-resuscitation debriefing. Future Research: Conduct a longitudinal study to assess the long-term sustainability of post-resuscitation debriefing and examine specific patient outcomes with increased post-resuscitation debriefing, such as neurological deficits or survival rates.

Location Online:

Zoom Link: https://pvpanther.zoom.us/j/96912933947?pwd=7JtIHymgoSbo0fIJCofRaQJAiTVN4N.1

Meeting ID: 969 1293 3947

Passcode: 582600