Individual Critical Reflection 1
Individual Critical Reflection
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May 25, 2024
Individual Critical Reflection 2
Table of Contents
Self-Assessment of Decision-Making Methods.........................................................................3
Reflective Model by Rolfe et al.: Self-Assessment of Decision-Making Methods...............3
Personal Example...................................................................................................................4
Factors Influencing Decision-Making....................................................................................5
Reflection on Barriers Faced......................................................................................................6
Time constraints.....................................................................................................................6
Communication challenges....................................................................................................6
Resource Limitations..............................................................................................................6
Strategies to Overcome Barriers................................................................................................7
Time Management Techniques...............................................................................................7
Improving Communication Skills..........................................................................................7
Utilizing Technology and Telemedicine.................................................................................7
Reference List............................................................................................................................8
Individual Critical Reflection 3
Self-Assessment of Decision-Making Methods
This reflective assessment uses Rolfe et al.'s reflective model to examine their clinical
decision-making. In this part, they will discuss a clinical choice they made in the past,
analyze why they chose it, and consider any issues that may have hindered their decision-
making. Finally, they will discuss many ways to overcome these issues (Abeyaratne, Pham
and Malone, 2021).
Reflective Model by Rolfe et al.: Self-Assessment of Decision-Making Methods
Many workers use the Rolfe et al. reflecting model to think about their past work and
determine how to do it better next time. The model has three main questions: What? What?
What now? This will help me think about how they make choices.
What? My latest employment included installing a new software system. The decision-
making process was crucial since it included choosing the correct software, getting team
approval, and monitoring implementation. They picked this program after collecting
comments from several parties, researching the possibilities, and rating them based on cost,
usefulness, and growth.
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So What? After considering this occurrence, they realized their decision-making process had
pros and downsides. Early partner involvement helped the team feel like they owned the
choice, which streamlined execution. We did a significant study and evaluated the software
system to ensure it met their demands (Friesen and Mihai, 2023).
Some things could have been done better. Decision-making took a lengthy time,
delaying the project. They also discovered that while getting input from many individuals,
they were not always clear about why they made the final option, generating confusion and
opposition.
Now What?
They will get better at making decisions from now on by the following methods:
Streamline the process: I will set better due dates and decision points to prevent things from
taking too long. This means arranging important things in order of importance and making
choices more quickly and easily when possible.
Enhance communication: I will ensure everyone knows why decisions were made the way
they were. One way to do this is to give regular reports with full explanations of the decisions
and how they were made.
Personal Example
During their most recent shift in the emergency room, someone told me about a
patient who had symptoms that could mean they were having a myocardial attack (MI). Other
signs the patient, a 55-year-old man, said he was having were sweating and shortness of
breath. He also said that the chest pain was moving to his left arm. As an experienced
practitioner, I needed to quickly look at the situation and decide to protect the patient and get
the best outcome possible (Hsu et al., 2022).
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Factors Influencing Decision Making
Pattern recognition: It was very important for me to learn about the common signs of a
myocardial attack while trying to decide what to do. People were more likely to think that the
patient had cardiac ischemia because they had chest pain that went to the left arm and other
symptoms that came after it. These two signs came together.
Evidence-based practice: They immediately started the appropriate diagnosis steps with an
EKG (ECG) and heart enzyme tests. This had to be done to be sure that the person had a
myocardial infarction (MI) and to start treatment right away. When THEY started these
studies, THEY did not spend time on them. In order to make this choice, THEY depended on
advice and thoughts that were supported by facts. Each of them was backed up by proof
(Contreras, Hoffmann and Slocum, 2021).
Interprofessional collaboration: Because they worked with other medical professionals,
such as cardiologists and nurses, they could ensure that patients received therapy that
included the knowledge and experience of specialists working in various fields. This helped
me feel good about their decision-making process and ensured a multidisciplinary approach
to their care.
Reflection on Barriers Faced
An important factor is that they probably could not give the patient the best care they
knew to give at the time because of several issues. Even though it was found that the
decision-making process worked, this is still the case. Even though the treatments worked,
this is what happened. Among the problems that fall into this group are, but are not limited to,
the following:
Time constraints
It might be difficult to do a full check and make choices when working in a hospital
with much activity, like the emergency room. Running out of time can make it harder to
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finish making choices. They might find themselves in a tough spot when they need to make
decisions quickly while still being correct.
Communication challenges
When it comes to providing patient care, team members must communicate well.
However, obstacles in communication, such as language barriers or team members' objectives
that directly oppose one another, may make it challenging to work together and make
choices.
Resource Limitations
This could be a significant barrier to effective decision-making, particularly when
there is restricted access to resources such as diagnostic equipment or personnel who have
received specialized training. When there are restrictions on available resources, it may be
necessary to engage in creative problem-solving and improvisation.
Strategies to Overcome Barriers
Various strategies may be used to overcome these challenges and enhance decision-
making in clinical settings in the future. Some of these strategies include the following:
Time Management Techniques
Time management techniques like setting priorities and delegating tasks can help
shorten deadlines and improve decision-making. Another way to boost productivity is to give
other team members less important jobs and ensure the most important ones get enough time.
Improving Communication Skills
Putting money into conversation training classes for healthcare workers could help
them improve their ability to talk to each other and work together more effectively. Members
of a team who can talk to each other clearly and concisely may be able to make decisions
faster and improve patient results (Bahramsoltani et al., 2023).
Individual Critical Reflection 7
Utilizing Technology and Telemedicine
Telemedicine systems and online tracking devices are new technologies that could
help get around resource problems and make it easier to make decisions quickly. The benefits
of telemedicine include the ability for patients to access testing tools and speak with experts
from anywhere in the world. This makes care better overall.
Ultimately, it was decided that thinking back on how decisions are made in clinical
practice can help them understand what factors affect choices and what problems might get in
the way of better patient care. By looking at personal situations critically, healthcare
professionals can see what needs improvement and develop ways to get around problems.
This leads to better care for more patients.
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