Cultivating future pharmacists: a systematic review of educator-led reflective practice methods and their impact on student competencies.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore various educator-led reflective practice methods implemented in pharmacy education, along with their outcomes and impacts on students.

Methods: A PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) systematic review method was used, and articles from the year 2003 to 2024 were obtained from three databases, namely PubMed, SCOPUS, and ERIC with keywords defined according to the study objective.

Results: A total of 298 articles were identified from the databases with a total of 25 included for review. Studies generally showed moderate quality, with an average MERSQI (Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument) score of 10.56. The literatures revealed that reflective practice has significantly increased during the past few decades, employing various methods, including written, non-written, and digital approaches. Reflective practice gave impact to several outcomes such as improvement in students' academic performance, critical thinking skills, clinical reasoning and decision-making abilities, metacognitive skills, deep-information processing skills, professional attitude, self-awareness, as well as collaborative skills.

Conclusion: Reflective practice in pharmacy education has evolved, integrating diverse methods that yield significant benefits in learning and teaching process. Although positive outcomes were seen in the studies, methodological limitations suggest a need for more rigorous research. Structured and efficient educator-led reflective practice in pharmacy education is crucial for preparing students to meet the growing demands in healthcare system.