Nursing reflective practice: An empirical literature review

Abstract

Reflective practice is a widespread concept in nursing; however, few empirical studies have demonstrated the possible effects of such a practice. The goal of this article is to present a review of the empirical literature on nursing reflective practice. Thirty-seven studies published between 1995 and 2012 were selected and analyzed to identify their common characteristics and structure. Most of them are qualitative in nature and were conducted in an academic context. Generally, few authors clearly define the reflective practice concept and the frames of reference on which their research is based. Furthermore, when reflective practice interventions are described, they have few points of comparison, which makes it hard to choose which intervention to prioritize to maximize the positive effects on nursing practice. Although a lot has been written on the advantages of reflective practice, nursing research on this concept remains at an early stage. The authors recommend various paths for future research.