A new study shows that while almost 80% of Irish GPs, GP trainees and general practice nurses say they always recommend breastfeeding to women, the respondents highlighted barriers to further education and training in breastfeeding.

In the study of 662 primary healthcare professionals, (58.2% GPs, 14.2% GP trainees and 27.6% GPNs)  78% of respondents reported always recommending breastfeeding to women, and the majority (94.2%) were interested in completing further breastfeeding education.

However, barriers to training noted were time (84.3%), workload (62%) and financial cost (34.9%). Perceived and factual breastfeeding knowledge, perceived attitude and confidence scores with breastfeeding-related issues significantly differed among the three groups, according to the researchers.

The study highlighted that this was a national study yet there was low engagement with the survey. All registered GPs, GP trainees and GPNs in the Republic of Ireland were invited to participate, with a response rate of only 10%.

They found that breastfeeding education provided to this cohort of primary healthcare professionals “was suboptimal, with significant differences reported in breastfeeding-related knowledge and beliefs” among the groups surveyed. 

The authors commented that there is inadequate preparation of primary healthcare professionals, both theoretically and clinically, to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in the primary healthcare setting.

This, they said, has important implications for supporting wellbeing, shaping population health and achieving sustainable development goals.

The authors said it was evident from the study that GPs and GPNs are not provided with standard breastfeeding education and skills “and importantly, the information to manage different breastfeeding challenges within their respective education programmes”.

The authors concluded that it was hoped that the national study will inform public policy and professional education programmes for GPs, GP trainees and GPNs “to support their important role in normalising breastfeeding in primary care and improving health outcomes for all women and infants”.

The study, by the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, School of Public Health and School of Medicine, UCD; School of Medicine University of Galway and the HSE, is published in PLoS One.