The Dynamics of Physicians’ Learning and Support of Others’ Learning

Abstract

Learning has been defined as a condition for improving the quality of healthcare practice. The focus of this paper is on physicians’ learning and their support of others’ learning in the context of Swedish healthcare. Data were generated through individual and focus group interviews and analyzed from a socio-material practice theory perspective. During their workday, physicians dynamically alternated between their own learning and their support of others’ learning in individual patient processes. Learning and learning support were interconnected with the versatile mobility of physicians across different contexts and their participation in multiple communities of collaboration and through tensions between responsibilities in healthcare. The findings illustrate how learning enactments are framed by the existing “practice architectures.” We argue that productive reflection on dimensions of learning enactments in practice can enhance physicians’ professional learning and improve professional practice.