Can Provision of Additional Education for Nursing Staff Increase Breastfeeding Knowledge and Feelings of Self-Efficacy?

Background: Post-partum nurses are responsible for preparing new mothers with the necessary skills to feed and care for their infants and need proper education to effectively and confidently discuss feeding options with their patients.Purpose: This quality improvement project aims to increase nursing knowledge of breastfeeding and their feeling of self-efficacy in promoting breastfeeding as an option to new mothers.Design Methods: A quasi-experimental design including a pre-test/post-test used to quantify the effect of education on therapeutic communication, nursing responsiveness, and feelings of self-efficacy.Conclusion: An overall increase in feelings of self-efficacy and knowledge of breastfeeding was noted amongst nursing staff resulted due to this quality improvement projectImplications for Nursing: Although improvement in knowledge and self-efficacy was evident in this study, there remains a need to understand how to teach an appropriate balance of expertise in an area where staff may have limited education and diverse views and experiences. This study highlights a gap in evidence about a critically important public health behavior that can positively impact some of the most vulnerable patient populations.