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. 2022 Feb;38(1):89-99.
doi: 10.1177/0890334420980693. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Educational Resources and Curriculum on Lactation for Health Undergraduate Students: A Scoping Review

Suzanne Hetzel Campbell  1 , Nicole de Oliveira Bernardes  1   2 , Thayanthini Tharmaratnam  1 , Flaviana Vely Mendonça Vieira  3
Affiliations

Educational Resources and Curriculum on Lactation for Health Undergraduate Students: A Scoping Review

Suzanne Hetzel Campbell et al. J Hum Lact. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is a fundamental component of health care, and health professionals need to be adequately prepared. As part of the system, health care professionals have the ability to influence the establishment and maintenance of breastfeeding. The global literature regarding the curricular approach or established best practices for health professional education in lactation is inconclusive and lacking in rigor.

Research aim: To explore the literature for the educational resources, methods, and curriculum used in the education of undergraduate health students related to lactation.

Methods: A scoping review examining the curricular programs of health professional students in lactation was undertaken exploring and summarizing evidence from peer reviewed and grey literature. A scoping review with a five-stage review process was followed. The database search between 1982-2018 generated 625 results, 79 full-text articles were reviewed, and 29 articles published in English met the inclusion criteria.

Results: In general, educational resources, methods, curricular approaches, and foundational topics were based on best practice standards. Some authors incorporated a variety of learning methods and provided experiential learning, with evidence of translation of knowledge into clinical practice. In the studies examined, researchers reported that students had improved their: knowledge and attitudes (59%); breastfeeding support skills (45%); and confidence (10%). However, even in programs that focused on developing students' breastfeeding support skills, authors reported a lack of change in students' confidence.

Conclusions: Although only English articles met the inclusion criteria, this review was unique in its search of multidisciplinary, multilingual, and international studies. Consistency in teaching across disciplines is key and not evident in the studies reviewed.

Keywords: breastfeeding; breastfeeding assessment; breastfeeding knowledge; breastfeeding practices; lactation education.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow Diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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