How to reflect critically on your clinical practice in older people nursing
To understand how unconscious bias in older people nursing can increase the risk of ageism
To consider how reflecting critically on your practice can enable you to examine your clinical decisions
To learn about a three-step model that can assist you to critically reflect on your practice
Critical reflection increases nurses’ competence by providing them with a method for analysing complex situations and learning from them. Reflecting critically on their practice enables nurses to recognise and question their values, beliefs and assumptions. This is essential when caring for older people because unconscious bias increases the risk of ageism and can lead to decisions that negatively affect the care provided – for example, decisions that reduce patients’ autonomy and agency. This article outlines the steps nurses can take to reflect critically on their clinical practice in older people nursing, using a reflective model constructed around three key questions: ‘What?’, ‘So what?’ and ‘Now what?’
• Critical reflection is an essential aspect of the nurse’s role that supports the continuous improvement of practice.
• Critical reflection involves examining one’s thoughts, feelings and actions to better understand oneself and reduce the risk of unconscious bias.
• Reflecting on clinical practice can support nurses to find a balance between managing the challenges of work and maintaining their emotional well-being.
‘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 critical reflection on clinical practice in older people nursing.
• How you could use this information to educate nursing students or your colleagues on reflecting critically on clinical practice in older people nursing.
