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. 2024 Apr 10;24(1):398.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05203-w.

A systematic scoping review of group reflection in medical education

Gillian Li Gek Phua  1   2   3   4   5 , Jasmine Lerk Juan Owyong  4   6 , Ian Tze Yong Leong  1   2 , Suzanne Goh  5   7 , Nagavalli Somasundaram  4   5   8 , Eileen Yi Ling Poon  8 , Anupama Roy Chowdhury  9 , Simon Yew Kuang Ong  4   5   8 , Crystal Lim  5   10 , Vengadasalam Murugam  2   5 , Eng Koon Ong  2   4   5   11   12 , Stephen Mason  13 , Ruaridh Hill  14 , Lalit Kumar Radha Krishna  15   16   17   18   19   20   21
Affiliations

A systematic scoping review of group reflection in medical education

Gillian Li Gek Phua et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

Background: Reviewing experiences and recognizing the impact of personal and professional views and emotions upon conduct shapes a physician's professional and personal development, molding their professional identity formation (PIF). Poor appreciation on the role of reflection, shortages in trained tutors and inadequate 'protected time' for reflections in packed medical curricula has hindered its integration into medical education. Group reflection could be a viable alternative to individual reflections; however, this nascent practice requires further study.

Methods: A Systematic Evidence Based Approach guided Systematic Scoping Review (SSR in SEBA) was adopted to guide and structure a review of group reflections in medical education. Independent searches of articles published between 1st January 2000 and 30th June 2022 in bibliographic and grey literature databases were carried out. Included articles were analysed separately using thematic and content analysis, and combined into categories and themes. The themes/categories created were compared with the tabulated summaries of included articles to create domains that framed the synthesis of the discussion.

Results: 1141 abstracts were reviewed, 193 full-text articles were appraised and 66 articles were included and the domains identified were theories; indications; types; structure; and benefits and challenges of group reflections.

Conclusions: Scaffolded by current approaches to individual reflections and theories and inculcated with nuanced adaptations from other medical practices, this SSR in SEBA suggests that structured group reflections may fill current gaps in training. However, design and assessment of the evidence-based structuring of group reflections proposed here must be the focus of future study.

Keywords: Group reflections; Medical education; Postgraduate medical education; Professional identity formation; Reflection; Undergraduate medical education.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

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Fig. 1
The SEBA process
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Fig. 2
PRISMA flowchart
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Fig. 3
Framework of group reflections
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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