Assessing the Impact of Reflective Practice on Clinical Judgment Development in Nursing Professionals
Posted: Sep 02, 2017
Abstract
The development of sophisticated clinical judgment represents a cornerstone of nursing excellence and patient safety, yet the mechanisms through which this complex cognitive capacity evolves remain incompletely understood within healthcare education and practice. Traditional approaches to nursing competency development have predominantly emphasized technical skill acquisition, protocol adherence, and knowledge accumulation, often neglecting the critical metacognitive dimensions that distinguish novice from expert practitioners. This research addresses this significant gap by investigating how structured reflective practice interventions influence the maturation of clinical judgment among nursing professionals across diverse healthcare settings. Clinical judgment in nursing encompasses the intricate processes of noticing, interpreting, responding, and reflecting that enable practitioners to navigate the inherent uncertainties and complexities of patient care. While substantial literature exists regarding clinical decision-making models and critical thinking in nursing, comparatively little empirical research has examined how deliberate reflection transforms the underlying cognitive architecture supporting judgment formation. This study introduces a novel conceptual framework that positions reflective practice not as a supplementary educational technique but as a fundamental catalyst for the development of expert clinical reasoning patterns. The research was guided by three primary questions: How does sustained engagement in structured reflective practice influence measurable aspects of clinical judgment accuracy and efficiency? What qualitative transformations occur in nurses' conceptualizations of uncertainty and complexity through reflective engagement? What relationship exists between reflective practice intensity and the development of situation-specific clinical wisdom?
Downloads: 47
Abstract Views: 1771
Rank: 433907