Reflection and reflective practice.

Reflection is an approach to the generation of understanding about practice that has become a largely accepted part of nursing education at both undergraduate and post-qualifying levels. It is also increasingly common now for healthcare professionals to use reflection in their practice communities as a part of their daily professional work. The literature is replete with accounts of the possible benefits to practitioners and clients of using reflection in practice, yet this amounts to a rather scant evidence base. For community nurses there are several challenges in the practical application of reflective practice, but these are not insurmountable. Issues such as lone-working and geographical distance may be a challenge. There are some key skills that will help public health and community practitioners get started in reflection and some important issues that should be addressed before beginning. Reflective practice has, however, the potential to help practitioners in all fields unlock the tacit knowledge and understanding that they have of their practice and use this to generate knowledge for future practice.