Skip to Main Content

Critical incident debriefing toolkit: Overview

“Debriefing ideally creates a space where we can reflect on what went well and we need to consciously repeat again in the future, and what were the challenges and things we consciously would change in the future. Debriefing also allows us to acknowledge any confronting scenes or emotions that need to be normalised and shared” - (Dr) Liz Crowe

Understanding and acknowledging the importance of preparing for and delivering critical incident debriefing (CID), the college together with the Trainee Wellbeing Project Group (TWPG) has undertaken to develop a suite of informed, accessible and diverse training resources for fellows and trainees during and following critical incidents.

What to expect from the toolkit

The toolkit has been structured into two sections.

The first section is composed of three main categories (or tabs):

  1. What is a critical incident?
  2. How to hot debrief
  3. How to care for a trainee or colleague in distress

Within each category you will find journal articles, fact sheets, podcasts and videos, websites, and how-to and explanatory documents.

  • The fact sheets have been developed for scenarios where you require urgent access to information and need to act quickly and decisively.
  • The how-to documents are for the times when you have 15-20 minutes before leading a debrief or for trainees to prepare questions and feel informed of the process and its rigour and transparency.
  • The comprehensive Critical Incident Debriefing report [see box out] has been purposely developed and designed so that you can dip in and out, depending on availability of your time.
  • The multimedia resources compliment the written documents and include videos and three podcasts that can be listened to on your way into work, or on your way home or during a break or when you are out on a walk.

The final section (tab) is the collected additional resources - which can be found on the other tabs - divided into the following themes:

  1. Understanding yourself after a critical incident
  2. How to support others
  3. Team work and communication

These resources are predominantly multimedia resources with some supporting websites and articles.

Learn@ANZCA

Use the links below to access additional support resources contained on the Learn@ANZCA platform.

Note: Resources located in Learn@ANZCA require that you first register before accessing.

Looking for Anaesthetic incident reporting - webAIRS? Try the Anaesthetic incident reporting page.

Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. Critical incident response: support and hot debriefing [Internet]. Melbourne: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists; 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 11]. Available from: https://libguides.anzca.edu.au/ld.php?content_id=49791933.

CPD Value: CPD participants may claim this under Knowledge and skills journal reading activity.

*All sections with journal readings can use this.

  1. What is a critical incident? (PDF) and resources (Journals)
  2. Caring for ourselves with our patients after error (Journals)

CPD Value: CPD participants may claim this under Knowledge and skills wellbeing education sessions activity. See the linked activity guide for additional educational session developer and facilitator claim notes.

*All other mediums (not journal readings) can use this.

  • How to hot debrief? (PDF) and ANZCA debrief Podcasts* (1 & 2) and resources (video, blog)
  • How to care for a trainee or college in distress - ANZCA debrief Podcasts* (3)
  • Understanding yourself after a critical event (Wellbeing for the broken video)
  • Supporting someone with acute critical stress (video)
  • How to support others (video)
  • Supporting and listening to others (video)

Talk to us

We rely on your feedback to further develop and support user access to the Critical incident debrief (CID) toolkit. Use the link below to provide content suggestions, as well as to make recommendations, report issues, and to give general feedback.

CID toolkit feedback form

Copyright Notice

© Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 2021

Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this material, without the permission of the College as copyright owner.

The permission of the College as copyright owner must be obtained for any use or reproduction of any part of this material

The Australian Copyright Act allows certain uses of content without the copyright owner’s permission. This includes uses by educational institutions and by Commonwealth and State governments, provided fair compensation is paid. For more information, see www.copyright.com.au and www.copyright.org.au.

The owners of copyright in the content of this material may receive compensation for the use of their content by educational institutions and governments, including from licensing schemes managed by the relevant Copyright Agency.

We may change these terms of use from time to time. Check before re-using any content from this material.

The college acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and emerging.

The college acknowledges and respects Māori as the Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and is committed to upholding the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, fostering the college’s relationship with Māori, supporting Māori fellows and trainees, and striving to improve the health of Māori.

The college recognises the special relationship between the Pacific peoples of New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, and is committed to supporting those fellows and trainees of ANZCA, and improving the health of Pacific peoples.