Project Firstline
Environmental Services Health Care Facilities Teamwork and Communication IPC Facilitator Toolkit

Brief

Prepare for success with a Brief.

For your team to perform at its best, you need a game plan. Before the start of a shift, a planned procedure or an emergent event, a brief can help bring everyone up to speed on responsibilities, expectations and contingencies. Whereas a huddle is more of an impromptu check-in, a brief should happen routinely at the beginning of your work as a team. Develop a checklist for your team to go over responsibilities, expectations, resources, contingencies and any lingering questions during the brief.

What is a Brief?

See It In Action

 
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Watch out for this...

If you notice people don't seem engaged during a brief, do what you can to loop them in! Encourage everyone to speak up during a brief. This will help improve teamwork, increase everyone's confidence in speaking up and ensure everyone is on the same page.

 
Question 1 of 2
A team is getting ready for a mass trauma in the ED. Everyone is rushed and stressed out.

Is it worth it to take the time to hold a brief?

Yes

That’s right! When time is short, it might seem counterintuitive to take up a few precious moments to hold a brief. However, briefs can be extremely important to a team’s preparation. Those few moments can make the difference between success and failure.

No

Not quite. When time is short, it might seem counterintuitive to take up a few precious moments to hold a brief. However, briefs can be extremely important to a team’s preparation. Those few moments can make the difference between success and failure.

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Question 2 of 2
A team is preparing for a low-risk procedure they've performed together dozens of times before.

Is it worth it to take the time to hold a brief?

Yes

You got it! Even if the information contained in the brief is nothing new, it is important to ensure roles and responsibilities are understood and discuss contingencies. Holding a brief can provide team members an opportunity to shift their focus to the task at hand and get in the right mindset to work together as a team.

No

Not quite. Even if the information contained in the brief is nothing new, it is important to ensure roles and responsibilities are understood and discuss contingencies.

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Put It Into Practice
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Practice briefing.

What do you think went wrong with this Brief?

While leading the brief, Dr. Hill didn't stop to involve the team.

Good point! Dr. Hill didn't use this short window of time to engage team members with directed questions, requests and guidance—leaving the rest of the team without much-needed direction.

Dr. Hill didn't include enough detail.

Not quite. In this example, while the details Dr. Hill provided are important, he didn't use this short window of time to engage team members with directed questions, requests and guidance—leaving the rest of the team without much-needed direction.

The team members weren't vocal enough in the Brief.

Maybe. While the team members could have interrupted to ask questions, Dr. Hill didn't use this short window of time to engage team members with directed questions, requests and guidance— leaving the rest of the team without much-needed direction.

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If you were leading this brief, how would you engage other team members?

Ask directed questions.

That's a great strategy! Asking questions to individual team members can help them to engage and bring value to the brief.

Give each team member a specific assignment or task.

Think about this option carefully. While being specific with guidance or requests is important, it's also essential to invite team members to chime in to make sure you aren't missing anything.

Try to make the brief more interesting with stories or anecdotes.

Not quite. A brief is supposed to be short and to the point—especially in an emergency situation—and it's important to involve team members by inviting them to participate.

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Strategies for a Successful Brief

Consider these strategies when implementing briefs in your workplace.

 
 

Keep it short and sweet.

Keep the brief short—and keep everyone from sitting. This should be a quick stand-up, not a lengthy meeting.

 
 

Bring in key players.

Involve all the necessary personnel in your briefs. If someone can't attend, make sure you have a process in place for communicating the information to them.

 
 

Seek out the team's input.

Involve team members who will be using briefs in the implementation. If they are able to take ownership of how the brief is run and what is on the checklist, they’ll be more likely to engage.

 
 

Invite patients and families to brief.

Include the patient and family in briefs by giving them an opportunity to ask questions, bring up concerns and clarify their role.

 

Use a brief to assign roles, establish expectations, and anticipate outcomes.

Brief Module - Brief | Huddle | Debrief

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