Kapachika Mphatso, Baluwa Masumbuko Albert, Mbakaya Balwani Chingatichifwe, Mhango Lucky, Bvumbwe Thokozani
Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi.
Department of Public Health, University of Livingstonia, Mzuzu, Malawi.
Adv Med Educ Pract. 2025 May 17;16:825-836. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S507766. eCollection 2025.
Reflective practice is widely recognized as an invaluable tool for improving the provision of nursing care, promoting professional and personal development, and ensuring ethical and effective practice. However, there is paucity of research regarding reflective practice in nursing education and practice in Malawi. This study lays the groundwork for future research, offering a foundation upon which subsequent studies can build to further explore and develop the practice of reflection in nursing and midwifery education in Malawi. Therefore, this study aimed to assess undergraduate nursing and midwifery students' knowledge, practices and barriers of reflection at Mzuzu and Daeyang Universities.
This study used a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design employing a census approach. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 101 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. Descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.
Overall, 101 (100%) of the students had an understanding of the meaning of reflective practice. Majority, 99 (98%) of the students engaged in reflective practice. The results showed that better care outcomes negatively influenced the practice of reflection among the students (Coef= -0.11), (95% CI [-0.19, -0.03] P =0.009). The study also revealed barriers to reflection, including unsupportive Clinical Learning Environment 53 (52.5%), unable to identify events to reflect upon 34 (33.6%), and time constraints 32 (31.7%). Further the results showed a significant difference between Mzuzu University students and Daeyang University students in terms of the support they received from nurses regarding reflective practice ( = 12.3, P = 0.02).
The findings show a wide spread of knowledge and practice of reflection. More efforts are needed to put down the effects of the challenges observed such as structured reflection sessions and integration of a standardized reflection module in the curricula for nursing.
反思性实践被广泛认为是改善护理服务、促进专业和个人发展以及确保道德和有效实践的宝贵工具。然而，关于马拉维护理教育和实践中的反思性实践的研究很少。本研究为未来的研究奠定了基础，为后续研究提供了一个基础，以便进一步探索和发展马拉维护理和助产教育中的反思实践。因此，本研究旨在评估姆祖祖大学和大洋大学本科护理和助产专业学生对反思的知识、实践情况及障碍。
本研究采用定量描述性横断面设计，采用普查方法。使用自填式问卷从101名本科护理和助产专业学生中收集数据。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）25版进行描述性统计和多元线性回归分析。
总体而言，101名（100%）学生理解反思性实践的含义。大多数，99名（98%）学生参与了反思性实践。结果表明，更好的护理结果对学生的反思实践有负面影响（系数=-0.11），（95%置信区间[-0.19，-0.03]，P=0.009）。该研究还揭示了反思的障碍，包括不支持的临床学习环境53人（52.5%）、无法确定要反思的事件34人（33.6%）和时间限制32人（31.7%）。此外，结果显示姆祖祖大学学生和大洋大学学生在从护士那里获得的关于反思性实践的支持方面存在显著差异（=12.3，P=0.02）。
研究结果表明反思的知识和实践广泛存在。需要做出更多努力来消除观察到的挑战的影响，如结构化反思课程以及在护理课程中纳入标准化反思模块。
