The breast milk and breastfeeding knowledge assessment of pediatric nurses working in BABY-friendly hospitals

It is indispensable to provide assistance on proper breastfeeding techniques and start nursing within the first-hour post-delivery as the lack of knowledge in breast milk and breastfeeding by new mothers decreases the number of breastfed babies. Nurses are expected to support new mothers by teaching them correct skills, encouraging them to nurse, and ensuring that the newborn is fed with only breast milk in the first six months. For nurses to achieve this, they should have sufficient information and training about breast milk, lactation, and feeding. This descriptive cross-sectional study aims to assess pediatric nurses' knowledge of breastfeeding. The participants consist of 166 nurses working between January 2022 and June 2022 in baby-friendly hospitals located in a provincial center and its districts in Turkey's Middle Black Sea region. The data is collected using two surveys, the "Descriptive Information Survey" and the "Evaluation Survey for Breast Milk and Breastfeeding." These surveys have 40 questions, in which the maximum achievable points are 40-points, and the minimum is zero. The data from each survey is statistically analyzed using SPSS, and the results are reported in percentage, mean and standard deviation. Mann Whitney U test is used to compare results from two independent groups, and the Kruskal Wallis test is applied to compare three or more independent groups. The statistical significance threshold is set to be p<0,05). 51,8% of all participants are in the 26-35 age group, 97% are female, and 69,3% graduated from a bachelor's level education program. 42,8% of participant nurses have been working for 1 to 5 years, and 26,5% have no special training in breast milk or feeding consultancy. The average breast milk and nursing knowledge level is calculated to be 29,92±2,85, which is over the worldwide average. The knowledge of pediatric nurses who have been active professionals for 16 years or more higher than who are professionals for 1-to-5 years (p<0,05). In conclusion, it is observed that the lactation and breastfeeding knowledge of participant pediatric nurses are higher than the global average. Even though the results show that the proficiency of nurses working in baby-friendly hospitals is notable, it is still not at the desired level. Therefore, hospitals and relevant health units should in service training for these professionals in lactation and breastfeeding consultancy. Key Terms: Human milk, baby friendly hospital, breastfeeding, nurse, knowledge level Science Code: 1032.8