The importance of nontechnical skills among healthcare professionals is gaining widespread recognition as critical
elements complementing technical skills that are used to improve patients’ safety. These skills are typically acquired
through simulation training which has emerged as an effective way to complement clinical training. Effective simulation
requires structure and effective debriefing methods to enhance its learning outcome. In previous literature, evidence of the
effectiveness of healthcare simulation was available but studies evaluating debriefing method(s) remain sparse. In this
paper, the effectiveness of debriefing methods in eight studies on the acquisition of nontechnical skills among healthcare
professionals is reviewed. Articles published from 1st January 2016 across three different databases were referred to. The
results of the review show a statistically significant improvement in the performance of nontechnical and technical skills
across different professionals through various methods of debriefing. Nontechnical skills such as teamwork, effective
communication, decision-making, and situational awareness have improved significantly. In addition, integration of
realism in simulation learning has begun to emerge as an effective technique of providing a real world experience.
However, there was lack of detailed information on the length and type of debriefing conducted in the studies. These
methods clearly require further research since the key to successful simulation learning is through debriefing which is
the heart of simulation.