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Breastfeeding care in Ohio hospitals: a gap between research and practice
1College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
Objective:
To assess current breastfeeding care in Ohio hospitals and compare that care to research-based principles.
Design:
Survey.
Setting:
Ohio hospitals that provide maternity care.
Participants:
All 141 Ohio hospitals that provide maternity care were invited to participate. One-hundred sixteen (83%) hospitals returned usable surveys completed by obstetric nurse managers.
Main Outcome Measure:
A 38-item questionnaire provided data on hospital demographics and information regarding the care of breastfeeding mother-infant dyads.
Results:
Research-based practices common in Ohio's hospitals include demand feeding, breastfeeding education, and breastfeeding as the initial neonatal feeding. Common non-research-based practices include supplemental fluid administration, postpartum nipple treatments, mandatory initial nursery stays, limited sucking time, restricted maternal-infant contact, distribution of formula packs, minimal follow-up care, and the suspension of breastfeeding for hyperbilirubinemia.
Conclusions:
Despite positive changes in perinatal care, a number of non-research-based practices persist in Ohio hospitals for the care of the breastfeeding mother-infant dyad.