Physician assistant students' perceived breastfeeding knowledge and counseling skills before and after web-based...

This study assessed physician assistant (PA) students' self-perceived knowledge/counseling skills regarding breastfeeding before and after a newly implemented web-based curriculum and lactation consultant shadowing experiences.

The study included 37 students (100% response rate) at the principal investigator's institution, Baylor College of Medicine. A 19-item, Likert-scale electronic questionnaire was provided to students before and after participation in a new breastfeeding curriculum experience. Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for analysis. The curriculum consisted of seven self-paced, web-based modules concerning fundamental topics of breastfeeding, as well as a 3-hour lactation consultant shadowing experience.

Significant improvement in self-perceived knowledge/counseling skills was noted, with an overall mean precurriculum score of 40.19, versus 76.59 for the postcurriculum score (statistically significant at z = -5.30, P < .05). Gender and age group score comparisons revealed no significant differences.

Participation in the new curriculum and shadowing experience significantly increased PA students' levels of confidence concerning their breastfeeding knowledge/counseling skills. Because PAs significantly participate in one-on-one patient care, they should be educated on the topic of breastfeeding to better promote the well-being of both infants and their mothers.