Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
6-19-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Brandi Castle
Abstract
Structured debriefing following medical emergencies has been identified as an evidence-based strategy to improve communication, reflective learning, and staff confidence within high-acuity healthcare settings. Inconsistent debriefing practices within correctional healthcare environments contributed to a gap in emergency response support and staff preparedness. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether implementation of a formalized debriefing protocol following medical emergencies impacted staff confidence during emergency response situations within a correctional healthcare setting. The project was guided by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory. A quantitative one-group pretest-posttest quality improvement design was implemented in a county correctional healthcare facility using The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. A convenience sample of 10 licensed healthcare professionals participated in structured debriefing sessions conducted within 24 hours of qualifying medical emergencies during an eight-week implementation period. Staff confidence was measured using the Clinical Staff Confidence Scale (C-Scale) before and after participation in the intervention. Because assumptions of normality were not fully supported, a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was conducted. Results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in confidence scores from pre-intervention to post-intervention, Z = -2.842, p = .004, r = .90. Limitations included the small convenience sample and single-site implementation. Findings supported structured debriefing as an evidence-based strategy associated with increased staff confidence and enhanced emergency preparedness within correctional healthcare settings. The project demonstrated meaningful advancement of nursing practice through implementation of a standardized post-event debriefing process.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Woody, Angel, "Quality Improvement Project: Impact of Formalized Debriefing on Correctional Health Emergency Response" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 365.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/365
