Use of Reflective Practice to Increase Diagnostic Accuracy

Abstract

Diagnostic error accounts for up to 17 percent of all adverse patient outcomes. Cognitive errors, in particular faulty information synthesis, accounts for the majority of these diagnostic errors. Reflective practice is reported as a strategy to improve diagnostic accuracy. The theoretic foundation to use reflective practice to decrease diagnostic error is well developed; however, empirical support is lacking and inconsistent. To address this gap, the author conducted an integrative review to critically evaluate the evidence in support of intervention for training in reflective practice to improve the diagnostic accuracy of clinicians’ decision making. We discuss our findings on the analytical, theoretical and methodological foundation of current evaluation studies on training in reflective practice patterns, in addition to identifying gaps in knowledge that will guide potential areas for future research.