As indicated in Figure1, the CISM program was initiated whenever an incident occurred within a clinical environment. PSP within that unit would contact a CT member and alert them to the incident and those staff members affected.
The CISM team operated on a 24-hour 7-day a week basis, with CT members on a roster. Referrals would come a CNM or their delegate or an orderly coordinator. The lengths of response time varied, but staff who were immediately involved were always seen before their shift finished. A date was set for an official launch of the CISM team, but a public suicide within the hospital grounds witnessed by 43 staff occurred before the date which prematurely launched the team into action.
To ascertain the effectiveness of the CISM Team’s response, a formal evaluation of the debriefing process was conducted, which is reported here.