Video-Assisted Debriefing for Non-Technical Skills Training in Emergency Medicine Clerkships: A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study
Objective Non-technical skills (NTS) are essential for safe emergency care but are inconsistently taught in undergraduate curricula. Video-assisted debriefing (VAD) may support reflection on team performance, but its feasibility within routine clerkships is underexplored. This study evaluated the feasibility of integrating VAD into a mandatory emergency medicine clerkship and descriptively explored learner perceptions and observed NTS performance. Methods A convergent mixed-methods feasibility study was conducted within an 8-week final-year emergency medicine clerkship in Qatar (N=66). Weekly simulation sessions included structured NTS teaching and VAD. Feasibility was predefined as: participation ≥80%, survey completion ≥70%, and ≥50% of recordings technically suitable for faculty assessment using the Simulation Performance Assessment Tool-Modified (SPAT-M). Learner perceptions were explored through a post-clerkship survey and free-text reflections. Results All 66 students completed the mandatory simulation curriculum; 46 (69.7%) completed the post-clerkship survey, narrowly below the predefined 70% threshold. Of 16 recordings screened, nine (56.3%) met technical criteria for SPAT-M analysis; seven (43.7%) were excluded for incomplete capture, audio failure, or poor image quality. Students reported high perceived NTS competence (median 4.0–4.5/5); faculty ratings of the nine usable recordings reflected competent-to-proficient performance (median 3.5–4.5). Situational awareness was the relatively lowest-rated domain and the most frequently reported area for development. Thematic analysis identified three themes: applying NTS in clinical practice, situational awareness as an area for development, and support for earlier longitudinal NTS integration. Conclusion Integrating VAD into a mandatory emergency medicine clerkship was feasible, although survey completion narrowly missed the predefined threshold and technical limitations restricted structured assessment to 56.3% of recordings. Learners perceived VAD as supporting reflection on NTS performance. Further multi-institutional studies are needed to evaluate educational effectiveness and transfer to clinical practice.