The Maternity Unit at Women’s Hospital – a member of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) - has successfully implemented an educational initiative aimed at promoting breastfeeding in the hospital. Titled ‘the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative’, the project focuses on adopting best practices in breastfeeding with the aim of promoting wellness of the mother and her baby. This includes creating a supportive hospital environment for patients with the availability of motivated, educated and highly-skilled staff.
The initiative is led by Dr. Amal Abu Bakr, Chairperson of the Breastfeeding Committee and Lactation Consultant at Women’s Hospital, with the support of a multi-disciplinary team, including senior management, specialists and nurses from the hospital. Dr. Abu Bakr explained that breastfeeding is the ideal and complete form of nutrition for babies and young children up to the age of two. “Breastfeeding ensures optimum growth and development for babies, and plays a very important role in developing the baby’s immune system, as it has many anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties,” she said.
Commenting on the importance of the project, Dr. Abu Bakr highlighted: “Breastfeeding has many evidence-based scientific health advantages for babies, such as prevention against acute infections like pneumonia, and chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It is also very beneficial to women’s health, as it reduces the risk of diseases like anemia, breast and ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis, among other diseases.”
Under the initiative, effective 20-hour training courses, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were completed by doctors, nurses, and other service providers. Lectures covering a number of breastfeeding topics have also been regularly organized for staff at the hospital. Moreover, mothers and their families are encouraged to participate in group meetings and discussions with maternity services’ staff to learn about new interventions and receive educational materials in Arabic and English.
New breastfeeding support services have also been introduced under the project, such as the Lactation Management Clinic at the Outpatient Department, for mothers who encounter difficulty in breastfeeding after they have left the hospital. A breastfeeding room has also been established in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to assist mothers whose babies need highly specialized care. In addition, mothers are also taught skills that help them get the correct positioning and attachment during breastfeeding and show them proper use of the breastfeeding pump.
“With the implementation of the project, the breastfeeding rate during hospital stay has increased from 40 percent in 2012 to 82 percent in June 2014. Skin to skin contact, which is an innovative practice that allows skin contact between a mother and her baby immediately after birth, has also increased from 0 to 79 percent,” Dr. Abu Bakr stated. This initiative is part of the Women Hospital’s efforts to provide mothers and babies the best start together and also to gain global accreditation as a baby-friendly hospital. It has been developed under the standards for assessment and accreditation set by WHO and UNICEF.
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative recently received Educational Award at HMC’s annual Stars of Excellence ceremony, held each year to honor outstanding patient safety and quality improvement initiatives.
Categories: