Breastfeeding Promotion Plan in Madrid, Spain

• Published in: Journal of human lactation 2012-08, Vol.28 (3), p.363-369
• Main Authors: Flores-Antón, Beatriz, Temboury-Molina, Mª Carmen, Ares-Segura, Susana, Arana-Cañedo-Argüelles, Celina, Nicolás-Bueno, Concepción, Navarro-Royo, Cristina, Pardo-Hernández, Alberto, Pallás-Alonso, Carmen Rosa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accreditation; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Delivery Rooms - organization & administration; Delivery Rooms - standards; Delivery Rooms - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Promotion - methods; Health Promotion - organization & administration; Humans; Infant Care - methods; Infant Care - organization & administration; Infant Care - standards; Infant, Newborn; Nursing; Perinatal Care - methods; Perinatal Care - organization & administration; Perinatal Care - standards; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Pregnancy; Program Development - methods; Program Evaluation; Quality Improvement; Spain; United Nations; World Health Organization
• ISSN: 0890-3344; 1552-5732
• DOI: 10.1177/0890334412449516

Background: Promotion and protection of breastfeeding is a public health objective. In April 2009, health authorities in the Madrid region in central Spain signed a collaboration agreement with The United Nations Children’s Fund and created a breastfeeding committee. Objective: To report the creation and implementation of a plan to promote and improve the quality of breastfeeding care in public hospitals in the region of Madrid, according to the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) standards. Methods: The action plan included institutional commitment; creation of a breastfeeding committee in each hospital; outcome analyses, staff training, creation of educational materials; and dissemination of activities. The plan was adopted by the 19 non-BFHI-designated public maternity units in the Madrid region. Each hospital completed a modified version of the World Health Organization self-assessment questionnaire in 2009 (pre-intervention) and again in 2011. Results: Thirteen maternity units (68.4%) established a breastfeeding committee, and 32 months after implementation of the plan, the other 6 hospitals have created one. Nine training courses have been carried out to train professional experts on breastfeeding as trainers. The 271 trainers provided 18-hour breastfeeding courses for 1423 professionals. In 2009, there was only 1 BFHI-accredited hospital. Currently, 52.6% of the other 19 hospitals have some level of accreditation, and 2 are fully accredited. Conclusions: An intervention to improve the quality of breastfeeding care based on an organized regional approach to the BFHI was useful for BFHI implementation.