Lactation Resources & Curriculum For Health Professional Students
Educational Resources and Curriculum on Lactation for Health Undergraduate Students: A Scoping Review. Journal of Human Lactation. December 2020.
Suzanne Hetzel Campbell, PhD, RN, IBCLC, CCSNE,
Nicole de Oliveira Bernardes, PhD, PT, Thayanthini Tharmaratnam, MSN, RN and Flaviana Vely Mendonça Vieira, PhD
As breastfeeding is a fundamental component of health care, this foundational practice serves to promote health for both members of the breastfeeding dyad. Thus, it is essential for all healthcare professionals to be equipped and adequately prepared to help support breastfeeding parents through their undergraduate education. Serving as key informational resources for many of these families, professionals have the ability to influence and initiate breastfeeding. Thus, this paper explores the literature for educational resources, methods, and curriculum used in the education of health professional students related to lactation. The global literature regarding established best practices or curriculum for health professionals is inconclusive and lacking in rigour. Readers can view the article for free as an open educational resource below.
Lactation Foundation OER Invitation
Dear Invitee,
My name is Dr. Suzanne Campbell. I am an associate professor in the School of Nursing at UBC. I am kindly requesting your participation in a research study that I am conducting with faculty members and researchers from UBC-Vancouver and UBC-Okanagan. This study’s overarching goal is to assess the effectiveness of the Lactation Open Educational Resources (OERs) to teach health professionals and students’ foundational knowledge and skills for promoting, supporting, and advocating for parents in their infant feeding decision-making and journey. The objective of this study is to compare health professional students’ and practitioners pre- and post-knowledge, perceptions of clinical skills, satisfaction, self-confidence and perceptions about interprofessional practice in providing breastfeeding support. The open educational resources (OERs) developed provide foundational knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of lactation, prenatal anticipatory guidance, cesarean section in hospital, effective breastfeeding, and midwifery clinic visit with low milk supply.
This study involves completing some anonymous information and pre-and post-knowledge, attitude, and skill surveys online. Your participation in this study is voluntary and confidential. The study is completely anonymous. You may decide not to take part or you may leave the study at any time. You also may opt of your data being used for the study. Your decision will not result in any penalty or loss of benefits to which you are entitled; it will not affect your performance evaluation, work status, or current or future relations with the research team.
If you would like to participate in the study, please click the survey link located on the website. Thank you for your time and participation. The study consent is at the beginning of each survey.
Sincerely, Suzanne Hetzel Campbell PhD, RN, IBCLC, CCSNE
Research Team
Principal Investigator:
Suzanne H. Campbell, RN, PhD Associate Professor, School of Nursing, UBC (Vancouver)
Team:
Dr. Claudia Krebs – Study team lead for Medicine
Nicole de Oliveira Bernardes – research project assistant
Marianne Brophy – Study team lead for Midwifery
Melanie Willson – Study team lead for UBC-O, Nursing
Point of Contact
Dr. Suzanne H. Campbell, PhD, RN, IBCLC,CCSNE
Associate Professor, BC-GITCS© Research Project PI UBC School of Nursing
Email: suzanne.campbell@ubc.ca
Phone: 1- 604-822-7748 [voice messages will be forwarded to email]
Foundation Lactation Open Education Resources (OERs)
Lactation Knowledge – Pre-test Survey
The purpose of this study is to learn more about students’ and practitioners’ experiences learning clinical application skills for supporting parents with breastfeeding and lactation management prior to accessing the Open Educational Resource created by Dr. Campbell’s research team. The survey is 5-10 minutes long and all data provided will be kept confidential. This study was funded by the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. This will help supplement the analysis and efficacy of this resource.
Lactation Knowledge – Post-test Survey
The purpose of this study is to learn more about how the students’ and practitioners’ answers have changed after the use of the Open Educational Resource created by Dr. Campbell’s research team. The survey is 5-10 minutes long and all data provided will be kept confidential. This study was funded by the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. This data will help supplement the analysis and efficacy of this resource.
Health Professionals Attitudes Towards Breastfeeding
This questionnaire is an adapted version from ‘Breastfeeding attitudes among counselling health professionals’ by Ekström A. et al., 2005. DOI: 10.1080/14034940510005879. You are invited to take part in this research study if you are accessing the open educational resources on lactation created by Dr. Campbell and her research team. The purpose of this study is to learn more about students’ and practitioners’ experiences learning clinical application skills for supporting parents with breastfeeding and lactation management. The questions in this survey relate to these specific learning resources. The survey is 5-10 minutes long and all data collected will be kept confidential. This study was funded by the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund.
OER Evaluation Survey
Upon completion of one of the Lactation Open Education Resource Modules, you will be invited to take part in this evaluation survey. The questions in this survey relate to these specific learning resources. This study will help us to learn more about the effectiveness and user-friendliness of teaching foundational lactation using open education resources online. The survey is 5-10 minutes long and all data collected will be kept confidential. This study was funded by the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund.
Open Educational Lactation Resources
With the support of the UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Krebs and their team of interdisciplinary professionals have created multiple Open Education Resources. Highlighting the physiology of lactation as well as the foundational methods of breastfeeding within different scenarios, the team has created interactive modules used for educational purposes. Please click on the various sections linked below and explore the different interactive scenarios.
Interprofessional Open Education Modules (all)
Physiology of Lactation (OER)
http://www.clinicalanatomy.ca/thorax/Lactation/story.html
Lactation 1: Prenatal Anticipatory Guidance
Lactation 2: Cesarean Section in Hospital
Lactation 3: Effective Breastfeeding
Lactation 4: Midwifery Clinic, Low Milk Supply (LMS)
Project Team
Provincial Partners
- BC Lactation Consultants Association – Tina Revai, President of BCLCA, Team Member and Contributor to modules
General Resources
Communicating with new parents about breastfeeding: A health promotion, health-equity, patient-centred focus.
Women’s Health Research Cluster Seminar, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada. February 3, 2020.
2020 Leader in Open Learning
Dr. Campbell’s nomination as a 2020 leader in Open Learning as an OER Champion.