Facilitator Training
Step 1: Watch the Overview Video
Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with the SUGAR and Debriefing Literature
In order to best understand the framework for SUGAR and the importance of skilled debriefing, we recommend you read at least the following two articles:
Step 3: Download Case Example
Download this sample case to follow along in the facilitator training videos.
Step 4: Understand how to use the SUGAR Case Handouts
These three short tutorials (3-4 minutes each) provide an overview of how to use the SUGAR Case Handouts and Debriefing Script.
SUGAR Case Handout Overview
SUGAR Paradigm Overview
SUGAR Debriefing Script Overview
Step 5: Prepare Your SUGAR Supplies
SUGAR Supply Video
Step 6: See SUGAR in Action
Because SUGAR differs in many ways from traditional simulation sessions, in order to understand how to facilitate the sessions successfully, it is imperative that you have seen them play out in real time. The videos below provide a look at residents encountering obstacles in managing diabetic ketoacidosis and debriefing the session afterwards. Be sure to follow along with your case handouts.
Keep in mind, these cases are not meant to be perfect examples of how to lead SUGAR sessions, but rather to highlight key aspects of facilitating SUGAR using the handouts as guides. You’ll note, for example, that on occasion during the debriefings, we fall back to the common format of asking “what am I thinking questions?” When you notice these types of questions, practice reframing the question using the advocacy/inquiry model on the handout where you pair your observation with your point of view.
DKA
Step 7: Understand the Emotional Power of SUGAR
One of the primary goals of SUGAR is to elicit complex emotions that mimic those often encountered in resource-limited settings in the safety of a simulated environment. This allows participants to experience and process these emotions in a controlled and supported environment BEFORE they experience them thousands of miles away, potentially without access to immediate support. The DKA case demonstrates the frustration providers can feel when faced with managing a patient without the resources they are used to having, and the empowerment that comes from the dynamic problem solving needed to overcome these limitations. Other cases in the curriculum, however, address more challenging emotional triggers such as perceived futility, death and long-term disability, and delays in care.
The following case deals with a neonate who requires advanced resuscitation, yet there is no access to a ventilator. Whereas the DKA case required intellectual problem solving, this case illustrates how SUGAR can be used to elicit and debrief powerful emotions and challenges less likely to be addressed in a traditional preparatory curriculum.
Keep in mind, these cases are not meant to be perfect examples of how to lead SUGAR sessions, but rather to highlight key aspects of facilitating SUGAR using the handouts as guides. You may notice how much of the rich discussion in the debriefing has nothing to do with medical management but rather cultural differences. Even so, it is quite tempting to fall back to our role as teachers to fill in knowledge gaps, often by asking what am I thinking questions. When you notice this, attempt to reframe the question using the advocacy/inquiry model on the handout where you pair your observation with your point of view.
Neonatal Resuscitation Video
