"Reflection is particularly important in medicine, in which evidence-based practice and client-centered care require the physician to analyze best evidence while considering his or her values and assumptions vis-à-vis the values, beliefs, and goals of each patient." - Margaret Plack & Larrie Greenberg MD, Pediatrics*.
Cultivating a Habit of Reflection
To foster students' development as reflective practitioners of medicine, we must cultivate a habit of reflection in their preparation for, engagement in, and debriefing of clinical experiences.
One way to cultivate the reflective habit is to encourage students to examine their decision-making (or someone else’s) for cognitive error. The role of cognitive error in medical practice as well as the role of reflection on cognitive error in improving practice has been much discussed in the academic literature.
Related Resources