Debriefing feedback offered by OIPS was introduced in the October 2019 OIPS Newsletter. Feedback is given using the OIPS Debriefing Feedback Form (DFF) and is supported by the Debriefing Assessment for Simulation In healthcare (DASH). In the upcoming OIPS newsletters the DASH and the supporting elements of the DASH will be introduced and discussed. Each element helps assess a debriefing behavior. In this issue of the OIPS Newsletter Element 1 will be highlighted.

Element 1 assesses the introduction or prebrief to the simulation. The prebrief is a crucial part of the simulation because it establishes an engaging learning environment and has been identified as a key element that lends towards a productive debriefing. Element 1 assesses whether or how the debriefer establishes an engaging learning environment by looking for the following behaviors: 1) clarifies course objectives, environment, roles and expectations; 2) establishes a “fiction contract”; 3) attends to logistical details such as bathroom location, availability of food and drink and the schedule for the event; 4) conveys a commitment to respecting the learners with a genuine desire to understand their perspective. A link to the DASH handbook is provided here for further review of Element 1. OIPS provides a prebriefing guide to assist the debriefer in covering these important points in the prebrief.

Simon R, Raemer DB, Rudolph JW. Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH)© Rater’s Handbook. Center for Medical Simulation, Boston, Massachusetts. https://harvardmedsim.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DASH.handbook.2010.Final.Rev.2.pdf. 2010. English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish.