Reflective Practice in Hemodialysis Specialist Nurses: Latent Profile Analysis and influencing factors

Abstract Aims This study sought to explore latent categories of reflective practice among hemodialysis specialist nurses and analyse its influencing factors. Methods From January to May 2026, 334 hemodialysis specialty nurses from secondary and tertiary hospitals in Guizhou Province, were recruited using a convenience sampling method. A general information questionnaire and the Reflective Practice Questionnaire Scale were used to collect their socio-demographic information and reflective practice. Results Three latent categories were identified: basic reflective type (19.5%), advanced reflective type (48.2%), and in-depth reflective type (32.3%). Logistic regression analysis showed that educational level, hospital grade, experience of further study outside the hospital, regular organization of reflective discussions on difficult cases in the department, frequency of reflective journaling, average daily number of dialysis procedures, work task load, nurses' perceived professional benefits, and knowledge sharing willingness were significant influencing factors for the latent categories of reflective practice ability (all P < 0.05). Conclusion The overall reflective practice of specialty nurses is at a medium-high level. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of reflective practice in hemodialysis specialty nurses.