Background
Reflection is an essential tool for postgraduate medical training, yet fear of exposing incompetence is a known barrier for engagement with reflection. In the UK, this fear may have been amplified by the case of Dr Bawa-Garba, whose reflective e-portfolio entries informed a General Medical Council investigation resulting in the loss of her licence to practice.
Aim
To identify themes GP trainees commonly explore in e-portfolio entries, and whether their reflective e-portfolio entries have changed following the Bawa-Garba case.
Method
A phenomenological approach was applied. Semi-structured interviews continued to data saturation in a purposive sample of trainees (7) and trainers (4) recruited from a South Yorkshire GP training scheme. Transcript data were assigned to a coding framework with iterative thematic analysis.
Results
Dominant emergent themes were ‘difficulty’ and ‘challenge’. All trainees described reluctance to submit significant event analyses (SEAs) on mistakes and near misses for fear of jeopardising their careers. International medical graduates were disproportionately affected by the challenges reflection posed.
Conclusion
Following the Bawa-Garba case, trainees are disengaging with SEAs to reduce the risk of self-incrimination. Further guidance with which trainees can navigate their reflective e-portfolios is required to retain the value of reflection as a tool for professional development.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)