Enhancing skill conceptualization, critical thinking, and nursing knowledge through reflective case discussions: a systematic review

Abstract

Reflective case discussion (RCD) is a reflective activity conducted by nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers to enhance their skills, critical thinking, and knowledge. This systematic review follows the PRISMA Guideline checklist and includes articles from various databases, such as Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and ScienceDirect. The quality assessment of each article was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). During the initial database search, we retrieved 997 articles from Scopus, 700 articles from ProQuest, 357,554 articles from PubMed, and 1,526 articles from ScienceDirect. The search was conducted using relevant keywords, including "reflective case discussion," "nursing," "critical thinking," "skills," and "knowledge." Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight relevant articles were identified, excluding duplicate studies, limited to full papers, open access, conducted in a hospital setting, and written in English. The findings demonstrate that RCD effectively enhances nurses' skills, critical thinking, and knowledge, contributing to their professionalism in patient care. RCD also proved beneficial in preventing repetitive mistakes and promoting teamwork among nurses. Thus, RCD should be embraced as a valuable form of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and integrated into nurses' ongoing learning processes.

Keywords: nurse; professional; reflective case discussion (RCD); systematic review.