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How midwives learn about breastfeeding.
Ruth M Cantrill1, Debra K Creedy, Marie Cooke
1School of Nursing, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland. r.cantrill@griffith.edu.au
Australian Journal of Midwifery : Professional Journal of the Australian College of Midwives Incorporated
|November 24, 2004
Summary
Midwives primarily learn about breastfeeding through on-the-job experience, with continuing education being most valuable. Formal education programs require enhancement to cover lactation and infant feeding comprehensively.
Area of Science:
- Midwifery Education
- Lactation Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited understanding exists regarding how midwives acquire knowledge and skills related to breastfeeding support.
- Effective breastfeeding support is crucial for maternal and infant health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the breastfeeding information resources utilized by midwives.
- To assess the perceived value of these resources for midwife learning.
- To inform improvements in midwifery education and continuing professional development.
Main Methods:
- A mail questionnaire survey was distributed to 3500 midwives affiliated with the Australian College of Midwives Inc. (ACMI).
- A response rate of 31.6% (n=1105) was achieved, providing data on resource utilization and perceived learning value.
- Data analysis focused on identifying commonly accessed and highly valued information sources.
Main Results:
- On-the-job experience was the most frequently accessed resource for learning about breastfeeding.
- Continuing education was identified as the most valuable resource for breastfeeding knowledge acquisition.
- A small percentage of midwives (3.1%) recognized their formal hospital or university education as a valuable source.
Conclusions:
- There is a significant opportunity to enhance continuing education programs with evidence-based lactation and infant feeding information.
- Midwifery curricula should be updated to include in-depth human lactation knowledge and practical skills for supporting breastfeeding mothers.
- Developing national accreditation standards for lactation and infant feeding courses by ACMI, Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), and ABA is recommended for quality assurance.