Applying systematic review search methods to the grey literature: a review of education and training courses on breastfeeding support for health professionals

BACKGROUND: Currently, lactation training courses aimed at health professionals are important for informing and supporting mothers who are breastfeeding. In this review, we seek to analyze similarities and/or variations in course content, modes of delivery, costs, teaching style and learning strategies among courses. To our knowledge, a review of lactation training courses available worldwide is lacking. Thus, the aim of this review is to describe course models aimed at training health professionals in lactation support for mothers. METHODS: Through searching grey literature, training courses were obtained from several directories, including the Alaska Breastfeeding Coalition, International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE), International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Lactation Education Accreditation Association and Approval Review Committee (LEAARC), World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). RESULTS: Descriptions of ten training programs were included in the final review. Our group found variations in costs, modes of delivery and duration among courses. CONCLUSIONS: Certified training for health professionals in lactation is a promising approach for increasing and protecting breastfeeding. Breastfeeding mothers might also benefit from specifically trained health professionals, yet, well-conducted research on such training courses is still required. The variability in the mode of teaching, tuition costs and course content in breastfeeding education programs around the globe must be kept in mind when considering providing training on the optimal competency for health professionals. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13006-021-00373-5.