Success of an educational intervention on maternal/newborn nurses' breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes.

OBJECTIVE

To test the effect of a breastfeeding educational program for improving breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of maternal/newborn nurses, and to improve their intentions to provide breastfeeding support to new mothers.

DESIGN

Quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest design.

SETTING

Maternity units of 13 hospitals located in midwestern and east coast states.

PARTICIPANTS

Nine experimental and three control hospital sites resulted in a convenience sample size of 240 registered nurses (RNs); 206 RNs in the experimental sites and 34 RNs in the control sites.

METHODS

Participation in the experimental groups involved the completion of two questionnaires upon study entry and then again after completion of a self-study module. Participants in the control groups completed the two questionnaires twice with a 4- to 6-week interval between them without access to the self-study module.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Nurses' breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and intentions to support postpartum mothers who are breastfeeding.

RESULTS

Findings suggest that this educational strategy was effective in improving maternal/newborn nurses' breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs, and intentions to support breastfeeding mothers.

CONCLUSION

This self-paced, study module, which is guided by an on-site, trained staff member, may be a cost-effective strategy for improving nurses' breastfeeding knowledge and support to new breastfeeding mothers. Nurses may find this type of teaching modality to be less intimidating than a structured classroom setting, and more desirable for their busy schedules.