Becker Genevieve E, Quinlan Gillian, Ward Fiona, O'Sullivan Elizabeth J
BEST Services, 2 Kylemore Park, Galway, H91T22T, Ireland.
Dietetic Department, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Ir J Med Sci. 2021 May;190(2):711-722. doi: 10.1007/s11845-020-02384-3. Epub 2020 Sep 29.
Breastfeeding rates in Ireland are among the lowest in the world; thus, it is important to understand what knowledge and skills exist and what are the education needs of dietitians. There has been no Irish research on dietitians' perception of their role in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding.
The aim of this study was to explore the breastfeeding-related education that dietitians participated in, their breastfeeding-related skills, knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding.
An e-survey was conducted among members of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute.
Fifty-nine percent of the 181 respondents received education or training on breastfeeding since qualifying with a trend of more training time on general breastfeeding knowledge and less time on clinical issues. There were lower confidence in skills, and role expectations related to clinical practice and clinical skills were perceived as required by only a few dietitians in specific roles. Personal breastfeeding experience was associated with greater confidence in their breastfeeding-related skills and a greater likiehood of reporting positive attitudes. The main source of information about breastfeeding was own reading or experience. Most respondents (64%) felt that their practice would benefit from additional training. The most frequently reported barriers to providing breastfeeding-related care were "I lack the skill", "I lack the confidence", and "I lack the knowledge to provide assistance with breastfeeding".
Further examination of the role of the dietitian and the establishment of expected competencies would provide a clear framework for future training and education of dietitians towards increasing breastfeeding prevalence in Ireland.
爱尔兰的母乳喂养率在世界范围内处于最低水平；因此，了解营养师具备哪些知识和技能以及他们的教育需求是什么很重要。爱尔兰尚未有关于营养师对其在促进、保护和支持母乳喂养方面作用的认知的研究。
本研究的目的是探讨营养师参与的与母乳喂养相关的教育、他们的母乳喂养相关技能、知识以及对母乳喂养的态度。
对爱尔兰营养与饮食学会的成员进行了电子调查。
181名受访者中有59%自取得资格后接受了母乳喂养方面的教育或培训，总体趋势是在一般母乳喂养知识方面的培训时间较多，而在临床问题方面的时间较少。在技能方面信心较低，只有少数特定角色的营养师认为临床实践和临床技能方面的角色期望是必要的。个人母乳喂养经历与对母乳喂养相关技能更有信心以及报告积极态度的可能性更大相关。关于母乳喂养的主要信息来源是自己阅读或经验。大多数受访者（64%）认为额外培训将有益于他们的实践。报告的提供母乳喂养相关护理的最常见障碍是“我缺乏技能”、“我缺乏信心”以及“我缺乏提供母乳喂养帮助的知识”。
进一步审视营养师的角色并确立预期能力，将为未来对营养师进行培训和教育以提高爱尔兰母乳喂养普及率提供一个明确的框架。
