McAuley School of Nursing, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan.
The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland.
J Midwifery Womens Health. 2022 Sep;67(5):635-643. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13367. Epub 2022 May 6.
The health attributes and advantages of breastfeeding are well documented in the literature. Current research identifies the importance of comprehensive lactation knowledge among health care professionals to improve breastfeeding outcomes. Educational curricula to incorporate lactation content is necessary for student preparedness to provide competent care. Midwives are in a unique position to support, promote, and manage breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to survey Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME)-accredited midwifery education programs in the United States for their breastfeeding curricular content including opportunities for clinical experiences in managing and counseling breastfeeding parents.
A descriptive survey was deployed online to midwifery programs listed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, with a response completion rate of 44.7%. Data collection included program descriptors, hours of lactation content, educational topics, faculty preparation, use of simulation, and clinical breastfeeding experiences.
Descriptive analyses revealed differences among the midwifery education programs surveyed regarding the amount of lactation content and clinical opportunities. Two programs offer a course specific to breastfeeding, with the remaining programs providing lactation content threaded throughout their curricula; 29.4% of programs offer 3 to 4 hours of lactation content, 35.3% report 5 to 8 hours of content, and 11.8% provide at least 10 hours of content. One program reports 18+ hours of content provided in both didactic and clinical settings. All programs report providing breastfeeding clinical opportunities for students; 18% of programs offer simulation experiences. No programs report using standardized lactation clinical competencies.
Midwives play a pivotal role in breastfeeding promotion, counseling, and clinical support. Standardization of didactic lactation education will assist programs in future curriculum mapping. Given the variability of clinical settings and patient access, creating clinical competencies and providing lactation simulation experiences may offer midwifery students a broader opportunity to gain critical skills in lactation management to best support breastfeeding families.
母乳喂养的健康属性和优势在文献中已有充分记录。目前的研究确定了医疗保健专业人员全面掌握哺乳知识对于改善母乳喂养结果的重要性。教育课程需要纳入哺乳内容，以提高学生提供专业护理的能力。助产士在支持、促进和管理母乳喂养方面处于独特地位。本研究旨在调查美国经助产士教育认证委员会（ACME）认证的助产士教育项目，了解其母乳喂养课程内容，包括管理和咨询母乳喂养父母的临床经验机会。
采用在线描述性调查的方式，对美国护理助产士学院列出的助产士项目进行调查，回复完成率为 44.7%。数据收集包括项目描述、哺乳内容的课时、教育主题、教师准备、模拟使用情况以及临床母乳喂养经验。
描述性分析显示，接受调查的助产士教育项目在哺乳内容和临床机会方面存在差异。有两个项目提供专门的母乳喂养课程，其余项目则将哺乳内容贯穿课程始终；29.4%的项目提供 3 至 4 小时的哺乳内容，35.3%的项目提供 5 至 8 小时的内容，11.8%的项目提供至少 10 小时的内容。一个项目报告在理论和临床环境中提供了 18 小时以上的内容。所有项目都报告为学生提供母乳喂养的临床机会；18%的项目提供模拟体验。没有项目报告使用标准化的哺乳临床能力。
助产士在母乳喂养的促进、咨询和临床支持中发挥关键作用。教学中哺乳教育的标准化将有助于未来课程的映射。鉴于临床环境和患者可及性的差异，制定临床能力和提供哺乳模拟体验可以为助产士学生提供更广泛的机会，获得哺乳管理方面的关键技能，从而更好地支持母乳喂养家庭。
