Reflection as a Learning Tool in Graduate Medical Education: A Systematic Review
Graduate medical education programs employ reflection to advance a range of outcomes for physicians in training. However, the most effective applications of this tool have not been fully explored. A systematic review of the literature examined interventions reporting the use of reflection in graduat...
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| Published in | Journal of graduate medical education Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 430 - 439 |
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| Main Authors | , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
United States
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
01.08.2017
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| Subjects | |
| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Graduate medical education programs employ reflection to advance a range of outcomes for physicians in training. However, the most effective applications of this tool have not been fully explored.
A systematic review of the literature examined interventions reporting the use of reflection in graduate medical education.
The authors searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ERIC for studies of reflection as a teaching tool to develop medical trainees' capacities. Key words and subject headings included
,
,
, and
/
/
. No language or date limits were applied. The search yielded 1308 citations between inception for each database and June 15, 2015. A total of 16 studies, encompassing 477 residents and fellows, met eligibility criteria. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of the 16 articles.
Outcomes studied encompassed the impact of reflection on empathy, comfort with learning in complex situations, and engagement in the learning process. Reflection increased learning of complex subjects and deepened professional values. It appears to be an effective tool for improving attitudes and comfort when exploring difficult material. Limitations include that most studies had small samples, used volunteers, and did not measure behavioral outcomes.
Critical reflection is a tool that can amplify learning in residents and fellows. Added research is needed to understand how reflection can influence growth in professional capacities and patient-level outcomes in ways that can be measured. |
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| Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 ObjectType-Review-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-4 Funding: The review was supported by a “Mapping the Landscape, Journeying Together” grant from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The results of the project were presented at The Arnold P. Gold Foundation Research Institute “Mapping the Landscape, Journeying Together” Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, May 1–2, 2016. Abigail Ford Winkel, MD, FACOG, is Vice Chair for Education, and Residency Program Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University Langone Medical Center; Sandra Yingling, PhD, is Associate Dean, Education Planning and Quality Improvement, and Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Aubrie-Ann Jones, MS, MFA, is Narrative Medicine Instructor and Research Assistant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University Langone Medical Center; and Joey Nicholson, MLIS, MPH, is Education and Curriculum Librarian, Health Sciences Library, New York University Langone Medical Center Conflict of interest: The authors declare they have no competing interests. The authors would like to thank James Lebret, MD, for his assistance with the design of this project and initial data collection. |
| ISSN: | 1949-8349 1949-8357 1949-8357 |
| DOI: | 10.4300/JGME-D-16-00500.1 |