Reflective writing in pharmacy practiceShazia Qasim Jamshed and Siti Hadijah Shamsudin

Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus, Pahang, Malaysia.(pharmacist1992@live.com)

doi: 10.1111/ijpp.12036

Pharmacists, being health information gurus and one of thelargest groups of healthcare providers, seep into the changingdynamics of the healthcare environment where now thepatient is both demanding of, and receptive to, informationeven on minor illnesses. The profession of pharmacy holdsthe concept of ‘patient centred care,’ thus shifting the image ofa pharmacist from a dispenser to a decision-maker and car-egiver. This places an additional burden on the pharmacist,and therefore the practice of professional principles shouldbe more dynamic and action-oriented in the best interest ofthe patient. Future pharmacy practitioners need to gainbetter understanding of the professional principles and het-erogeneous philosophies of pharmacy practice that initiatefrom dispensing, counselling, congenial interprofessionaland intra-professional working, and later culminate in drugand patient safety, pharmacogenomics and pharmaco-informatics. In order to accomplish this, future pharmacypractitioners could be frequently acclimatized to the conceptof reflective learning in different pharmacy modules. It issuggested that the concept of reflective learning could benurtured by observational writing. The requirement ofreflection-imbued observational writing generally, exposesthe students to activities related to learning and makes theman insider for a transient epoch facilitating in facing the worldbeing observed.

Observational writing is a way to mentally channelize thelearning and understanding of a task to accomplish some pre-dictable consequences. Excerpts from observational writingcould then be collated in the form of a reflective diary. Areflective diary best serves the purpose of an educational toolas it simplifies the observation and insightful account of thesituation that the student is a part of. This reflective diarynecessitates the student to contemplate again and again theevents and situation in which the student is one of the

observer participants. This in turn offers the student thefreedom of expression that paves the way for unambigu-ous nonverbal communication, ultimately articulating animproved action plan for the future. Previously publishedstudies have reported that reflective diaries or reflective port-folios are appropriate ‘academic kits’ in simplifying thinkingand assembling conducts of thinking.[1–6] The fundamentalsof reflective writing embark upon the manifestations of sub-jective opinions.

In order to promote outcome-based reflective writ-ing, guided reflection is one of the pre-requisites thatcould nurture students to deduce their learning needssystematically.

In this context, the role of faculty and/or preceptor inshaping the reflective thinking of the student cannot beundervalued. Keeping in view the recent trend of pharmaceu-tical care, where the pharmacist is expected to align intrin-sically with the beliefs and feelings of patients and skillsand competencies of other healthcare professionals, facultyand/or preceptors can serve as the personification of reflec-tive teachers. Faculty and/or preceptors converge theirthoughtfulness on the preliminary understanding of thereflective process by the student, boosting the student’s dis-tinct nonverbal communication and ultimately providingwell-thought-out facets to equipoise the flexible nature ofreflective writing.

Declarations

Conflict of interest

The Authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest todisclose.

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International Journal of

Pharmacy PracticeInternational Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2014, 22, pp. 101–102

Letter to the Editor

© 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2014, 22, pp. 101–102

References

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2. Connor-Greene PA. Making connec-tions: evaluating the effectiveness ofjournal writing in enhancing studentlearning. Teach Psychol 2000; 27: 44–46.

3. Tang C. Reflective diaries as a means offacilitating and assessing reflection. InQuality Conversations: Proceedings of the29th HERDSA Annual Conference Perth,7–10 July 2002. Milperra: Higher Educa-tion Research and Development Societyof Australasia, Inc., 2002.

4. Mansor AZ. Reflective learning journalusing blog. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 2011;18: 507–516.

5. Coward M. Does the use of reflectivemodels restrict critical thinking andtherefore learning in nurse education?What have we done? Nurse Educ Today2011; 31: 883–886.

6. Chirema KD. The use of reflective jour-nals in the promotion of reflection andlearning in post-registration nursingstudents. Nurse Educ Today 2007; 27:192–202.

102 Letter to the Editor

© 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2014, 22, pp. 101–102