Reflective Practice: What, Why and How

Abstract

<p>Nursing is a dynamic profession that must be able to respond to the changing needs of society. Advances in healthcare knowledge and reduced government spending has led to a reduction in hospital beds,shorter hospital stays, and more rapid patient turnovers. As a result, healthcare professionals are spending much more of their time dealing with complex individuals who require specialised care (Mitchell et al 2013). In order to function in these complex environments, practitioners are required to constantly 'refresh and update their knowledge and skills, and frame and solve complex patient and healthcare problems' (Mann et al 2009:595-596). Reflecting can cause feelings of concern or confusion, but it also offers us an opportunity to reconceptualise our profession by making it more responsive and reflective of the needs of the individual and society. The role of the nurse is influenced by cultural, social, economic, historical and political constraints that all influence the ways in which nurses approach and react to certain situations (Taylor 2010). It is a given that society expects nurses to practise safely and to undertake what is necessary to keep up to date. Reflection helps us to self-correct where the notion of continuous improvement becomes habitual to our practice (Usher et al 2019).</p><p> As a consequence of the constantly changing healthcare arena, today's nursing graduates must not only be clinically competent practitioners, but also need to be adept at critical thinking in order to understand the complexities of the world and the rapidly changing practice arena, even though this can itself be challenging (Johns 2017, Mann et al 2009). Critical thinking, or the practice of questioning, is necessary so that practitioners integrate relevant information from various sources, examine assumptions and identify relationships and patterns (Thompson & Thompson 2018). Reflective practice and critical thinking are often used interchangeably, but, while not identical, there is a reflexive relationship. After all, as Lum by (2000:338) explains, ' ... to adopt a critical approach to the world, it is necessary to reflect on the world and one's experiences in it'.</p><p> This chapter introduces you to the what, why and how of reflection. The first section explains why reflection is a useful strategy for undergraduate nursing students, as well as registered nurses. The next section of the chapter addresses the what of reflective practice, including an overview of the definitions of reflection. Finally, the chapter closes with discussion around tools and techniques which may assist the reader in understanding how they can go about engaging in reflection and reflective practice.</p>