Open AccessHealth Professionals’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Breastfeeding
Author(s) -
Sharon Radzyminski,
Lynn Clark Callister
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the journal of perinatal education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1548-8519
pISSN - 1058-1243
DOI - 10.1891/1058-1243.24.2.102
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , consistency (knowledge bases) , health care , medicine , nursing , health professionals , family medicine , psychology , pediatrics , geometry , mathematics , economics , economic growth
The aim of this descriptive study was to investigate how health-care providers perceived their role in breastfeeding and maternal support. Data was collected via interviews of 53 health-care professionals that provided care to breastfeeding women. The emerging themes included (a) understanding the benefits of breastfeeding: often lacking current knowledge, (b) lacking consistency: gaps between knowledge of benefits and actual clinical practice, (c) not knowing how to help: lack of assessment and therapeutic skills, and (d) understanding the barriers to breastfeeding: how health-care providers can make a difference. Data analysis suggests inconsistencies between the health-care provider's perceived support and behaviors, lack of knowledge, and significant lack of skill in the assessment and management of breastfeeding couples.