title: Teledebriefing: connecting learners to faculty members.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Simulation has become widespread among medical educators. Although simulation facilities are available at most teaching institutions, the number of qualified instructors to facilitate post-simulation debriefing is inadequate, resulting in sub-par educational experiences for learners.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Efforts to broaden medical curricula to include simulation have been successful. An integral component of simulation-based education is the debriefing stage, in which learning and reflection are believed to be greatest. To be maximally effective, debriefing should be performed by faculty members who have both expertise in the subject matter and a strong grasp of debriefing principles. Unfortunately, the debriefing portion of simulation exercises is often performed in a sub-par fashion because many simulation centres do not have access to trained debriefers. As a result, the overall experience of simulation training programmes is reduced, and the exercises have much less educational benefit to the learner.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article outlines a novel use of videoconferencing technology for debriefing learners at remote locations, which we term teledebriefing. This can be accomplished in a cost-effective and straightforward manner using basic equipment: a smartphone and a television. Many simulation centres do not have access to trained debriefers
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teledebriefing can create a mutually beneficial faculty instructor network between institutions. By connecting clinical educators from geographically distant areas or from specialties not available locally, learners are exposed to faculty that can provide content expertise and high-quality debriefing during simulation exercises. Evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of teledebriefing is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, Ohio, USA. ahmedr@summahealth.org.
authors.forename: Rami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: King Gardner
authors.forename: S Scott
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gable
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040421:Cell Phone; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007721:Knowledge of Results, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016544:Patient Simulation; D016730:Program Development; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D013690:Television; D049269:Videoconferencing; D055815:Young Adult