Table 1 Examples of reports that were evaluated as reflective, analytical, or descriptive
Level of reflection | Report content |
|---|---|
Reflective | In each case, the social factors that affected health differed according to the patient, family environment, or region. Each factor affected each other and regulated the patient’s health conditions. I felt that if healthcare professionals were not conscious of this concept, we would not reach a fundamental solution to each patient’s problem. Considering that a patient’s life is shaped by various backgrounds such as family environment, human relationships, and their community, it can be said that the social determinants of health are rooted in the problems of the community itself, such as family and community conditions. Therefore, in order to support the health of the community as healthcare professionals, we must not only look at each patient, but also understand the characteristics, history, and culture of the community from a broader perspective and intervene in the problems of the community itself. Especially for people who belong to the community, its culture is taken for granted, so people from outside the community, governments, residents, etc. must gather and discuss from a wide range of perspectives to tackle the problem together |
Analytical | For patients who have been living in such an environment for many years, there must be some social determinants of health that they feel are “normal” and not considered as problems, such as food or lifestyle. There must be cases where they become aware of it as a problem or get strong motivation for improvement only when healthcare professionals point it out. Healthcare professionals asking about the patient’s life in detail would lead to better treatment and a higher treatment success rate |
Descriptive | In this clinical clerkship, I actually went to the community and met various patients. I thought that we could not support patients just by seeing those who come to the hospital. In the community, there are people who cannot come or have difficulty coming to the hospital. Not all patients in the community come to the hospital. Like the patients I met in this clerkship, I felt that local healthcare professionals need to be aware of not only their illness but also social factors such as their family and housing conditions |