Keeping a reflective practice diary: a practical guide

Reflective practice aims to enhance client care via the professional development and growing expertise of practitioners. This paper offers practical guidelines for writing diaries that may form the basis for reflective practice, while acknowledging the skills that practitioners already use to examine their nursing actions and interactions. There is an emphasis on the outcomes of reflection as well as the reflections themselves, as this is seen as important if professional development is to be recognized and clients benefit. Time constraints that may make frequent formal reflection difficult are recognized by the format that allows deeper reflection where time permits and as skills develop. While ideas presented have been influenced by the literature on reflection, the paper owes as much to the continuing education students of the Homerton School of Health Studies who studied the reflective practice module during 1996. Without listening to their discussions, becoming aware of their difficulties and sharing their growing ability to reflect on practice, this article would not have been possible.