Topic 6 DQ 1
Evidence shows that worldwide, breastfeeding rates for the first six months of life do not surpass 30% (Zhang, et al., 2019). This is significant if breastfeeding is the optimal nutrition a child should receive. Many factors contribute to this, among them the lack of breastfeeding support. At my facility, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) will see every patient after delivery. If the patient wants to breastfeed, they will assist. The problem is that the IBCLC nurse are only available during the day. The floor nurses, labor and delivery, recovery, baby, and postpartum nurses need additional education to support the patients with breastfeeding support. To do this a breastfeeding educational workshop is needed.
Financially, educating all staff members will require multiple workshops for nurses work different shifts and different hours. All staff needs to be updated with the most evidence-based practice. These workshops would take most of the day unlike a quick in-service. This means money would need to be put aside to accomplish this and the nurses would need to be paid. This can be difficult for the floor is short staffed.
Nurses that are better equipped with breastfeeding education are more likely to feel competent enough to answer breastfeeding questions. They will feel more confident in helping their patients latch the baby on the breast and therefore increase patient self-efficacy. Supporting and building breastfeeding self-efficacy improves rates of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity with benefits to children’s health (Thorpe, 2018). For a baby-friendly hospital that is all for breastfeeding, this is a desired goal.
Clinically, with well-educated working nurses, the patients would greatly benefit from this, and the baby-friendly hospital will too. In the long run, babies and mothers will continue to benefit for breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child, aside from providing essential nutrients, it provides protection against childhood infections, sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes and reduces risk of breast cancer for mothers (National Institute of Health, 2018).
After discussion with your preceptor, name one financial aspect, one quality aspect, and one clinical aspect that need to be taken into account for developing the evidence-based change proposal. Explain how your proposal will directly and indirectly impact each of the aspects.
Using 200-300 words APA format with at least two references. Sources must be published within the last 5 years. There should be a mix between research and your reflections. Add critical thinking in the posts along with research. Apply the material in a substantial way
