About Us
We know when it happens. We have all felt a penny dropping within when something happens during or after a patient encounter. Sometimes the penny may crash to the ground in a moment of terrifying realisation and dread or, it may fall in a more subtle and delayed manner. A new insight is revealed. It may make us worry or feel sad or feel fulfilled.
To capture this awareness through reflection may help reduce your anxiety, enhance your practice and ultimately improve patient care.
You are invited to share your reflection, which describes when and why the penny dropped for you. We thank you for your generosity in doing so and hope that you are inspired to continue your fine work by reading the reflections of others.
We learn from our patients and we become better practitioners for recognising what we have learned.
What is A Penny Drops?
Welcome to a safe and supportive space for you as a Health Care Professional or allied professional who meets patients on most days. We see the potential benefit in recording your thoughts on meaningful moments you shared with your patients. We ask you to explain the context of the case and what made it important for you. Furthermore, you are invited to describe if the learning has changed your practice, or not.
Sometimes a patient encounter may simply affirm what we have already learned and recording this is also useful. The reflection may take the form of a poem or a written description of the encounter.
Through reflection we may manage anxiety, release emotional stress, better manage diagnostic uncertainty and thereby create an intrinsic way to sustain ourselves so we keep going out and doing our best each day. As a result, patient safety is enhanced and the risk of professional burnout is reduced.
We learn from our patients and we become better practitioners for recognising what we have learned. When we pause to consider our actions, we sense meaning in our experience with patients especially when outcomes are not what we hoped they would be.
Why Join?
By reflecting you are beginning to create resilience and by sharing your thoughts here, you are kindly offering to help others. You may even inspire a colleague to stay positive during a time of strife. We hope to foster a supportive camaraderie among our community.
Collective or group reflection may reveal themes or issues that may eventually lead to positive change in the planning of healthcare delivery.