The Ida Institute today introduced the Reflective Journal, a practical tool to help hearing care professionals explore issues in the patient-practitioner relationship and use the insights gained to enhance their ability to practice more effectively.
The Reflective Journal takes practitioners through a series of questions that help formalize the reflecting process.
“We envisioned the Reflective Journal as a practical resource that would encourage hearing care professionals to reflect in a deliberate and analytic way on their interactions with patients following each encounter, “ states Ida Institute Director Lise Lotte Bundesen. ““The notes they make in response to the journal questions can help practitioners learn from their experiences and make their practice more rewarding for them and more effective for their patients.”
The newest tool was inspired by lectures on the Reflective Practice given by Ida Institute faculty member Christine de Placido at the recently completed Ida Institute seminar series, “The Process of Defining Hearing.”
DePlacido, a Senior Lecturer and Program Leader for the Audiology Department of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, defines reflective practice as continuous self-reflection that enhances a practitioner’s ability to frame problems, question assumptions, explore appropriate options, and develop solutions that benefit the practitioner and the patient.
She points out that reflective practice has been implemented successfully in other health and caring professions to develop self-awareness and to improve critical thinking and the ability to make judgements in complex and uncertain situations.
The Reflective Journal can be downloaded from www.idainstitute.com. My Ida membership is required to access the Reflective Journal and other online tools. Membership is free at www.idainstitute.com and open to hearing and health care professionals and all others interested in the human dynamics of hearing loss.
“We encourage practitioners to print multiple copies of the Reflective Journal to keep in their offices for use throughout the day,” adds Bundesen.