Discussion Post: Identification of Issue Significant to Nursing Practice
Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant feeding, yet globally only two fifths of infants are exclusively breastfed up to six months of age (UNICEF, 2021). I am doing my practicum at a clinic called Healthy Beginnings, where breastfeeding is encouraged. The nurses attend yearly breastfeeding seminars to keep up with the most recent evidence- based research and how to apply it. My preceptor recently took a course on how to identify tongue and lip ties and how they can affect breastfeeding due to poor latch and nipple pain. I believe the main issue is not so much the lactation nurses in this clinic, but the first nurses who see these newborn babies in the hospital. The labor and delivery nurse are usually the first to help latch the baby on the breast, followed by the postpartum nurse. But if these nurses do not fully understand the importance of breastfeeding, the high value of breastmilk, or do not know how to properly latch a baby on to the breast, this can discourage new mothers. Supporting and building breastfeeding self-efficacy improves rates of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity (Thorpe, et al. 2020). Therefore, the first step would be to educate the nurses at the hospital and to have them take a quick lactation course. This could help them better understand the benefits of breastfeeding and encourage their patients to breastfeed. Additionally, a second lactation nurse can be set to work only the hospital setting and be assigned to visit all new mothers and helping them breastfeed or pump instead of having to manage the clinic, the hospital, and do educational classes.
Task
What is the main issue for your organization in addressing a solution to evidence-based nursing practice? Discuss what might be the first step in addressing and resolving this issue.
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.