Nurse and midwife interventions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding: An umbrella review

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q1 NURSING

Midwifery Pub Date : 2025-02-16 DOI:10.1016/j.midw.2025.104337

Cristina Couto , Ana Paula Prata , Sandra Patrícia Souto , Joana Machado , Clara Roquete Viana

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Low breastfeeding rates continue to be a global concern among nurses and midwives, raising critical questions about knowledge and effectiveness in promoting breastfeeding. Summarising evidence on nursing and midwifery interventions to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding enables a deeper understanding of how these professionals can enhance breastfeeding practices, inform decision-makers, and improve care quality.

Aim

To synthesise nursing and midwifery interventions that protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Methods

The JBI methodology for umbrella reviews guided this study. Searches were conducted in databases aggregated by EBSCOhost, SCOPUS, and Web of Science, as well as relevant grey literature. Systematic reviews published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish from January 2018 to December 2023 were included. Two independent reviewers used a JBI critical appraisal tool and a specific data extraction instrument to synthesise findings.

Findings

A total of 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. Synthesised findings include: (1) the absence of nursing/midwifery interventions focused on breastfeeding protection; (2) five nursing/midwifery interventions aimed at breastfeeding promotion, with the primary intervention being prenatal education; and (3) twenty-four interventions of nurses/midwives on breastfeeding support, the most frequent being home visits, telephone technology and follow-up.

Conclusion

This umbrella review reveals limited involvement of nurses/midwives in breastfeeding protection, despite their expertise and potential influence on policy development to support breastfeeding. They are involved in breastfeeding promotion, but most of their intervention is focused on breastfeeding support. The diverse roles and settings of nursing and midwifery practice present challenges in evaluating intervention effectiveness. Further research specific to nursing and midwifery is needed to inform evidence-based practice and policymaking in breastfeeding care.

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来源期刊

Midwifery 医学-护理

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

7.40%

发文量

221

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Midwifery publishes the latest peer reviewed international research to inform the safety, quality, outcomes and experiences of pregnancy, birth and maternity care for childbearing women, their babies and families. The journal’s publications support midwives and maternity care providers to explore and develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes informed by best available evidence. Midwifery provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the publication, dissemination and discussion of advances in evidence, controversies and current research, and promotes continuing education through publication of systematic and other scholarly reviews and updates. Midwifery articles cover the cultural, clinical, psycho-social, sociological, epidemiological, education, managerial, workforce, organizational and technological areas of practice in preconception, maternal and infant care. The journal welcomes the highest quality scholarly research that employs rigorous methodology. Midwifery is a leading international journal in midwifery and maternal health with a current impact factor of 1.861 (© Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports 2016) and employs a double-blind peer review process.