Knowledge of breastfeeding practices in doctors and nurses: A questionnaire-based survey

As the primary physicians and nurses in hospitals are the first contact with the mothers, we carried out a questionnaire-based survey to assess the knowledge of the MBBS nonspecialist doctors and general duty nurses regarding breastfeeding of normal newborns.

Thirty-four MBBS, nonspecialist doctors and ninety-seven general duty nurses were enrolled in the study between August 2016 and September 2016 in a tertiary care teaching hospital, and a questionnaire comprising of 10 questions on breastfeeding was provided to each.

All doctors (100%) and nurses (100%) agreed that breastfeeding must be started within 1 h of birth and all nurses (100%) agreed that breastfeeding alone is sufficient for a newborn baby during the first 2-3 days of life. However, 58.8% of the doctors and 25.7% of the nurses believed that after 6 months of life, the mother must give her infant cow's milk or formula for better growth. Only 52.9% of doctors and 40.2% of nurses agreed that breastfeeding should be advised to be continued for 2 years and beyond. Among doctors only 67.6% believed that breastfeeding for a normal newborn should be on demand only and not by clock.

There is scope of improvement regarding knowledge of breastfeeding in both doctors and nurses. All healthcare providers must provide correct information to mothers to help them in successful breastfeeding.