Reflective Practice in Nursing: Improving Scope of Practice and Patient Outcome

Running head: NURSING
NURSING
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Introduction:
According to Smith (2016), reflective practice forms an integral aspect of the nursing
profession. Reflection typically includes the element of introspection so as to analyse the
existing strength and weaknesses within the scope of practice and undertake appropriate
measures to enhance the scope of practice so as to ensure effective care delivery. As stated by
Bassot (2015), reflection forms an important education tool in nursing that facilitates
continuous professional development. Research studies have indicated that the use of
reflective practice in nursing has helped in improving the scope of professional practice and
at the same time has promoted improved patient outcome (Bassot 2015; Smith 2016).
Typically, reflective education is devised in a manner that it helps in acquiring specific goals
that is encapsulated with coordinated group facilitating so as to achieve positive performance
output. In addition to this, research studies suggest that reflective practice stimulates learning
within scope of practice and at the same time enhances the professional skillset to implement
acquired knowledge to practice and promote a positive change (Wright and Stickley 2013).
This paper intends to make use of the Driscoll’s method of reflection in order to reflect upon
a clinical scenario and accordingly undertake measures to improve the scope of practice so as
to render effective care to patients.
Driscoll’s Model of reflection:
Driscoll’s model of reflection was propounded by Terry Borton who typically
emphasised upon finding responses to three questions in order to reflect upon a clinical
scenario. The three questions typically comprise of ‘what’, ‘so what’ and ‘now what’ in order
to evaluate a clinical experience. As per Bassot (2015), the three questions included in the
Driscoll method form a part of the experimental learning cycle and in combination help in
introspecting upon a clinical incident in order to identify the existing weaknesses to improve

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the scope of professional practice. In this paper, I am going to make use of the Driscoll’s
model of reflection in order to reflect upon my clinical experience with a 60 year old
aboriginal male who had presented to the mental health clinic to seek assistance with mental
health issue.
What:
Mr. A who was 60 year old, was presented to the mental health care clinic by his
daughter C. C complained about her father behaving awkwardly over the previous week. She
mentions her father to be extremely restricted to himself and aloof at home. She further states
that her father had not consumed a proper meal since two days and has been staying up all
night. She further states that she had overheard her father talking to himself at night and on
asking him what was wrong, he had mentioned about receiving a divine message that told
him, his end was near. This was when, C realized that there was something wrong and had
urged her father to accompany her to the mental health clinic.
Upon presentment, Mr. A looked dishevelled and unkempt and was seen to wear a
lose pair of trousers and a shabby grey shirt. I took Mr. A to the clinic and greeted him and
mentioned to him that I would ask him a few questions about his problem and wanted to help
him with his problem. Mr. A maintained a closed body gesture and avoided eye contact to the
maximum. On asking him about whether he could state the time and place and the purpose of
his visit, he responded accurately, which suggested that he was aligned to the time and place
and was aware of the purpose. Further on asking him about what bothered him, he mentioned
in broken sentences while shivering ‘my end near’. Upon asking him how did he know that,
he mentioned ‘the God’s voice.’ Upon asking him further questions, Mr. A was observed to
fidget with his hands and portray a nervous look and constantly mentioned, ‘Please, let me
go..you no understand..my end near.’ I tried to calm the patient and extended by hands to