Support of breastfeeding by health professionals: integrative review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature in order to evaluate how health professionals promote and support breastfeeding. DATA SOURCES: Studies from the following databases were retrieved: Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, Lilacs, SciELO, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (Cinahl). The descriptors “breastfeeding”, “professional role” and “patient care team” were used in the research. The review was limited to articles in Portuguese, Spanish, and English published between 1997 and 2013. DATA SYNTHESIS: The search retrieved 1396 studies, 18 of which were selected for being directly relevant to the main question. The review showed that breastfeeding is a challenge for health professionals, regardless of their specialization, as they have to face a demand that requires skill and sensibility, for which they are not prepared. Health professionals have considered breastfeeding a purely instinctive and biological act. Moreover, it is noticeable that many of them possess theoretical expertise on the subject, but lack the practical skills. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals need to be better trained to work on promoting breastfeeding, whether by health and medical schools or by healthcare administrators, in order to consolidate multiprofessional teams committed to maternal-infant health.