Rationale and key points

This ‘How to’ article explains how to reflect on clinical practice using reflection-on-action and a reflective model to help ensure the nurse gains comprehensive learning from an experience or incident to enhance their professional development and patient care.

• Reflection is a vital element of nursing practice and has a wide-ranging purpose including, for example, self-inquiry into experiences to find meaning, gain insight and prompt action, recognition of emotional responses to care situations and exploring wider issues, such as healthcare culture.

• Reflection-on-action involves a retrospective critical exploration of an experience or incident to identify learning points and may be engaged in alone, with one other person, for example during clinical supervision, or in a group activity.

• There are a range of reflective models that can be used to structure a reflection, the main components of which generally include a description of the event, reflection on its meaning and identification of learning.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How this article might improve your practice when using reflective techniques.

• How you could use this information to educate nursing students or your colleagues on the appropriate methods for reflecting on clinical practice.