Revolvers are the original point and click device and the 38 has been protecting soldiers, police, and citizens all over the world for a long long time. As stated by others, there is nothing wrong with this weapon as a defense weapon and if your comfortable and proficient with it it means a heap more than a few more grains of weight or extra bullet diameter.
Only reason the shotgun is a better choice is the spread means a larger field of damage as opposed to one round. Once upon a time you could buy 38, 45s (ACP or Colt), 44s and who know what else with bird shot (#8?) loaded into the casing, not sure those kinds are still around but they do the trick for soft tissue. Grandpa used to load 45 colts this way with a cardboard wad at each end of the shot and a heavy crimp to hold the wad on the top. They made short work of Texas critters.
Also, nice thing is that most sizes of shot will not pass through plaster/drywall walls so you don’t have to worry as much about collateral damage if kids/family are in another room. Bullets can keep going if they find a soft surface to pass through and might end up where you don’t want them.
Edit: found this video showing what those 38 shotshell loads from CCI look like and how they perform.
https://youtu.be/38zJfxdPDbE