Rationale and Study Protocol for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Breastfeeding Registry Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Maternal and Child Health
• Dietetic Practice Research

Background:

• Breastfeeding offers significant public health benefits, reducing infant and maternal morbidity and mortality.
• Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) have a potential role in supporting breastfeeding, yet their impact on outcomes like breastfeeding duration is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the nutrition care provided by RDNs to breastfeeding infants.
• To analyze health-related outcomes associated with RDNs' care, focusing on breastfeeding duration.

Main Methods:

• A pilot prospective cohort registry study involving breastfeeding infants and RDNs.
• Data collected via an electronic Nutrition Care Process (NCP) database for up to 6 months.
• Assessed documentation quality using NCP-QUEST and surveyed RDNs on professional characteristics.

Main Results:

• Primary outcome: breastfeeding duration.
• Secondary outcomes: NCP Terminology frequency, documentation quality, nutrition diagnosis resolution, and goal attainment.
• Analysis of complete NCP cycles demonstrating improvements in prevalent nutrition problems.

Conclusions:

• This registry study provides initial insights into RDNs' role in breastfeeding support.
• Identifies potential challenges in recruitment and data variability for future registry studies.
• Highlights the importance of standardized nutrition care documentation for evaluating RDN interventions in breastfeeding.