Debriefing as a strategic tool for performance improvement.

In 2009, two large, West Coast perinatal units began a performance improvement project for obstetric hemorrhage. In this article we discuss the use of structured team debriefings for obstetric hemorrhage cases to measure performance improvement. Lessons learned from debriefings can be vital in gauging if recommended interventions are effectively embedded into clinical practice. Improved outcomes for the project included a 33% decrease in massive transfusions and a 78% decrease in unplanned hysterectomies for one medical center.