Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow Community Healthcare Organisation 7 (CHO 7), Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
Trinity Centre for Practice and Healthcare Innovation, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
J Hum Lact. 2023 Nov;39(4):733-742. doi: 10.1177/08903344231172991. Epub 2023 May 26.
Breastfeeding continuation rates are low in Ireland. The Breastfeeding Observation and Assessment Tool (BOAT) was developed to assist public health nurses in assessing breastfeeding challenges; however, little is known of its actual usage, the level of training experienced or desired by public health nurses, or their level of confidence in the support they provide to breastfeeding mothers.
To identify the current practices and support needs of public health nurses who provide breastfeeding support in Ireland.
An online questionnaire was devised to collect respondents' confidence with breastfeeding issues, caseload, and practices. It was distributed to public health nurses with a current child health caseload in one Community Healthcare Organization. Mann Whitney U tests were used to ascertain the relationship between public health nurses' confidence level and those with qualifications in midwifery or as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
The survey was completed by 66 public health nurses. Only 14 respondents (21.2%) indicated that they always used the BOAT. The most common reason for not doing so was a lack of education on its use ( = 17, 25.8%). Postholders also certified as IBCLCs were considered by participants to be the most appropriate professionals to resolve certain breastfeeding issues. Confidence levels to manage breastfeeding issues were highest among public health nurses with IBCLC credentialing ( = 12.5, p = .001) while no difference was seen when comparing those with a midwifery degree to those without ( = 184.0, p = .92). Face-to-face workshops and blended-learning approaches were ranked as the preferred formats for breastfeeding education (Median rank = 2).
Breastfeeding education incorporating a face-to-face component is needed to support public health nurses who work with breastfeeding mothers, as is prioritization of recruitment in the community of public health nurses with IBCLC credentials.
爱尔兰的母乳喂养持续率较低。母乳喂养观察和评估工具（BOAT）旨在帮助公共卫生护士评估母乳喂养挑战；然而，人们对其实际使用情况、公共卫生护士所经历或期望的培训水平，以及他们对提供给母乳喂养母亲的支持的信心程度知之甚少。
确定在爱尔兰提供母乳喂养支持的公共卫生护士的当前实践和支持需求。
设计了一份在线问卷，以收集受访者对母乳喂养问题、病例量和实践的信心。它分发给了在一个社区医疗保健组织中拥有当前儿童健康病例量的公共卫生护士。使用 Mann Whitney U 检验来确定公共卫生护士的信心水平与具有助产士资格或国际认证哺乳顾问（IBCLC）资格的公共卫生护士之间的关系。
共有 66 名公共卫生护士完成了这项调查。只有 14 名受访者（21.2%）表示他们总是使用 BOAT。不这样做的最常见原因是缺乏使用它的教育（ = 17，25.8%）。参与者认为，具有 IBCLC 认证的职位持有者是解决某些母乳喂养问题的最合适的专业人员。具有 IBCLC 认证的公共卫生护士在处理母乳喂养问题方面的信心水平最高（ = 12.5，p = .001），而具有助产士学位的人与没有该学位的人之间没有差异（ = 184.0，p = .92）。面对面的研讨会和混合学习方法被评为母乳喂养教育的首选格式（中位数排名 = 2）。
需要提供包含面对面环节的母乳喂养教育，以支持与母乳喂养母亲合作的公共卫生护士，并且优先在社区招聘具有 IBCLC 证书的公共卫生护士。
