Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, Essay Example

Perinatal nurses must embrace the education that is provided in regards to lactation management to improve outcomes. The primary intent of a change initiative is to recognize that nurses do not possess the level of knowledge and skill that is required to address lactation management and general concerns regarding the postpartum phase (Boyd & Spatz, 2013). Therefore, nurses who are lacking these skills and the knowledge required to address patient concerns require their own level of education in order to achieve the intended outcomes (Boyd & Spatz, 2013). The intent of this project is to fill some of the knowledge gaps that exist that will enable nurses to improve their attention and focus on lactation management for patients in need of support and guidance in this are (Boyd & Spatz, 2013).

The need for change among nurses requires a practical and realistic approach to the intervention in order to collect data that will determine where changes are required to current education in lactation management and what steps are necessary to accomplish these changes in an effective manner. Although there are likely to be challenges related to lactation education due to limited knowledge of risks and other concerns, nurses must achieve a cohesive curriculum in this area because it will support their direct care of these patients and their general practice knowledge. The research study is likely to consider the impact of education at the baccalaureate level in order to fully prepare nurses for what is to come when they begin to work directly with patients (Bozzette & Bozner, 2013). These tools will demonstrate the importance of their influence on lactation for mothers, including the advantages and challenges of this practice (Bozzette & Bozner, 2013). Nonetheless, education is an essential component of nurses’ ability to practice consistently at a high level and to be proactive in meeting patient care needs effectively for this population group.

References

Boyd, A. E., & Spatz, D. L. (2013). Breastfeeding and human lactation: Education and curricular issues for pediatric nurse practitioners. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 27(2), 83-90.

Bozzette, M., & Posner, T. (2013). Increasing student nurses’ knowledge of breastfeeding in baccalaureate education. Nurse education in practice, 13(3), 228-233.