Nurse perceptions of breastfeeding promotion in the hospital setting.

As the benefits of breastfeeding are becoming more established, the importance of its promotion is gaining significance. In response, the World Health Organization created the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as a guide for hospital practices. The purpose of this thesis was to identify nurse perceptions of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding at the onset of their implementation. Six nurses participated in a focus group, and 22 nurses completed an online questionnaire, totaling 28 participants. Both methodologies used the same qualitative data collection instrument. The results were transcribed, consolidated, and coded using Nvivo software. Three predominant themes emerged from the data analysis – concerns with staffing, variations in parental understanding, and postpartum issues. The responses indicated that the nursing staff was generally supportive of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, but often lacked the tools or knowledge to execute the steps.