The trauma produces significant emotion within the staff. The chaplain must pastor the staff after the TMR incident. One method is to informally debrief the participants in or near the trauma area itself. This debriefing becomes easier with time and staff familiarity. After particularly difficult cases, such as pediatric cases, the chaplain should isolate the staff and perform an informal debriefing.
Closure is needed by all hospital personnel.
There are several modalities of debriefing. Basically, persons should be invited to share, in a confidential setting, the events, their thoughts, their reactions, and their feelings. It is important for the chaplain to affirm their normalcy, reframe the event, and educate the staff about potential reactions to the incident. If family is present, the chaplain performs the previous procedures, and also ministers to the patient's family. The chaplain should identify himself, provide the extent of involvement with all TMRs, and move the family to a private area and explain the severity of the incident.