Review 2025

Reflective learning and reflective practice: foundational education theories and applications in surgery

PF
Prete, Francesco Paolo
 CM
Covelli, M.
 BA
Ballini, Andrea
 KM
Karaboue, M. Ahmed Antonio
 GA
Gurrado, Angela
 DL
De Luca, Alessandro
 DG
Deluca, Giuseppe Massimiliano
 TM
Testini, Mario
Clinica Terapeutica
Journal · Vol. 176 · Issue 4 · pp. 520-527
Abstract

Reflection, as an essential component of reflective learning and reflective practice, is regarded as a valuable tool in various medical settings. It is crucial for surgeons, both in the context of training and specialist practice, to ponder on their experiences, exploring with rigour the complexities of their actions, assess their performance, and identify areas for improvement. These features make reflection also important for life-long learning and maintenance of certification to assure competency. Practitioners often need appropriate education on reflection; however, reflection is still understudied and underutilized in surgery, and implementation of reflection as a learning strategy is still limited. © Società Editrice Universo (SEU).

Keywords

Author Keywords

reflective practice Competence continuous education educational theories surgery

Index Keywords

learning clinical competence human Humans education lifelong learning medical specialist physician review Competence Surgery educational theory maintenance of certification surgeon cognitive reflection general surgery
Author Affiliations
DiMePRe-J-Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine-Jonic Area, Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, BA, Italy
Università LUM, Casamassima, BA, Italy
Department of Life Science, Link Campus University, Rome, Italy
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Università degli Studi di Foggia, Foggia, FG, Italy
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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