Public Health and Nutrition

Biography

Biography: Zada Pajalic

Abstract

There is an urgent need to facilitate the development of more effective breastfeeding support strategies. The desired research will focus on knowledge-based service innovation that include intervention in form of computer-based training program aimed for training of health and care professionals involved in breastfeeding support. The intervention in the proposed study will contribute to more effective adoption of new knowledge in healthcare organisations. Further, the proposed project will be organised as an interdisciplinary and crosswise sectorial collaboration and will be customized at a national and international level, by involving decision-makers, researchers, health care professionals and care users. Ambition with this project is to contribute to increased breastfeeding frequency by increasing competence in professional support in related healthcare services and midwife education program. There is also an urgent need for evidence based technical solutions as a professional support for the professionals to more effectively implement new research in practice. This project will contribute health care with high quality and resource use. The overall aim for the project is to implement and evaluate new innovative solutions in order to improve long-term strategies for professional support and quality of care, related to knowledge-based breastfeeding support. The design method for the project is longitudinal randomized controlled intervention trial. The intervention will be computer-based training education program developed in collaboration with decision-makers, professionals and researchers. Data will be gained before and after intervention by using: Breastfeeding attitudes among counselling health professionals (An instrument based on WHO standards was developed to measure breastfeeding attitudes), Mother-to-infant Relation and Feelings (MIRF) scale and Mother-Perceived-Professional-Professional support (MoPPS) scale. For successful intervention, it is important that decision-makers are involved in the research process, so that suggested changes can be possible if they actively participate and encourage the project as well as the adoption of research results in practice. Involvement of stakeholders in the research demand facilitation of the research process. This can enable cooperation by using project management techniques as co-counselling and clinical reflection. The outcome of the project will be multiple may be placed in a regional, national, international or global context. Firstly, the project will contribute to development of knowledge-based professionals’ competence with focus on to support breastfeeding from first breastfeeding time, to minimise usage of infant formula during first week of life, longer exclusive- and predominant breastfeeding and stronger connection between mother and child. This topic will fit with theme Nutrition and Lactation. Key words: innovation, collaboration, breastfeeding, support, knowledge