Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
Published on: April 19, 2024
Developing an Instrument to Measure Public Health Nurses' Competence Related to Breastfeeding Beyond 12 Months
Niina Pöyhönen1, Oona Ojantausta2, Marja Kaunonen2,3
1Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
Background:
Health professionals need adequate competence to support breastfeeding beyond infancy. There is no established instrument to measure health professionals' competence regarding long-term breastfeeding. To respond to this shortcoming, the Long-Term Breastfeeding Competence Scale (LBCS) was developed.
Research Aim:
To develop and pilot an instrument that measures public health nurses' competence related to breastfeeding beyond 12 months in order to provide adequate breastfeeding counseling for families.
Methods:
This study was conducted as a cross-sectional online survey on public health nurses working in maternity and/or child health clinics. The relevance and clarity of the LBCS were assessed by an expert panel (N = 6). Public health nurses (N = 197) completed the LBCS, which consisted of a knowledge and skills dimension and an attitude dimension. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the study sample. The conceptual validity of the knowledge and skills dimension was assessed using the dichotomous Rasch analysis, and attitude dimension using the exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. The distribution of the items was summarized by descriptive statistics.
Results:
According to expert panel evaluations, the LBCS was found to meet the requirements for relevance and clarity (S-CVI 0.90). The internal consistency of the instrument was at a good level (α = 0.796) and met the requirements set for a new instrument.
Conclusion:
The LBCS is appropriate to determine public health nurses' competence related to breastfeeding beyond 12 months. The LBCS can be used to identify the need for education concerning breastfeeding beyond 12 months.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Nursing Evaluation
01:29Nursing Assessment
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...
01:23Assessment of Respiration
Subjective Assessment: Nurses interview the patient to gather information directly during the subjective assessment. It includes questions about the individual's medical history, medications, and symptoms, focusing on past respiratory conditions like...
01:19Guidelines For Measuring Vital Signs
Before taking a patient's vital signs, a nurse would consider and assess the patient's comfort level and ensure appropriate equipment is available.
01:20Sputum Studies II: Culture and Sensitivity
Sputum culture and sensitivity is a medical procedure used to diagnose bacterial infections in the respiratory tract and select the most appropriate antibiotics for treatment. This process involves analyzing sputum samples of thick and opaque secretions produced in the lungs and airways. These samples are collected from patients and then sent to the laboratory for analysis.
The test can identify various pathogens responsible for respiratory infections, including Streptococcus,...