Strides in Development of Medical Education (Feb 2024)
Effect of Group Reflection and Moral Case Deliberation on Moral Reasoning Skills and the Reflective Ability Among Nursing Students
Abstract
Background: In healthcare, professionals are often confronted with ethical issues and morally complex. Moral reasoning and reflective ability are the most important requirements for nurses’ professional proficiency and patient care. Group reflection and moral case deliberation are important and hypothetically impactful forms of clinical ethics support. Empirical evidence, however, is incomplete concerning its real effect.Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of group reflection and Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) on nursing students' moral reasoning skills and reflective ability.Methods: The present study is quasi-experimental. The nursing students in two nursing faculties of Shahid Saduoghi University of Medical Sciences were enrolled (n = 72). The learners participated in the group reflection sessions and MCD in educational intervention. Nursing Dilemmas Test and reflection on learning questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software with repeated measurement ANOVA. The statistical significance is considered at P < 0.05.Results: The results showed that educational interventions improved the moral reasoning skills respectively, Pre-test, 1st post-test, 2nd post-test (44.05±4.79, 51.63±4.81, and 50.05±8.47) and reflective ability of learners’ respectively Pre-test, 1st post-test, 2nd post-test (59.00±14.48, 65.71±14.10, and 67.28±12.60). The results of comparing the intervention and control groups over time showed that the learners' reasoning scores were significantly different (P <0.001), and reflective ability in the intervention and control groups were significantly different over time (P =0.003).Conclusion: The results indicated the educational effect of interventions on participants' reasoning and reflection was reported at high and moderate levels, respectively. It recommended that interactive methods, including group reflection and moral case deliberation, are planned in the ethical nursing education program.
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