259751 Improving the Quality of Infant Feeding Training for Perinatal Case Managers Serving High-Risk Black Women and Children

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM

Elaine Fitzgerald, DrPH, MIA, CLC , Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
OBJECTIVE: Strong evidence supports the association of breastfeeding with improved health outcomes of conditions that disproportionately affect Black women and children, yet a persistent disparity in breastfeeding rates exist. An infant feeding strategy has been developed and tested to improve early and exclusive breastfeeding rates among this vulnerable population. Improving the quality of infant feeding training delivered to perinatal case managers who serve high risk Black women and children is one component of that strategy, which will be presented here. METHODS: The infant feeding curriculum and training was developed and tested utilizing rapid Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles and operationalized with the support of a quality improvement (QI) learning collaborative. QI activities occurred from May 2011 to October 2011 with the Boston Healthy Start Initiative (BHSI) and included: standardizing infant feeding training for Healthy Start providers, as well as developing and testing an Infant Feeding Knowledge Assessment Tool and Case Managers Self-Efficacy Scale to Promote Breastfeeding. RESULTS: We found an increase in infant feeding knowledge when comparing the Pretest to Posttest 1 of 12% and an increase of 23% when compared to Posttest 2. We also found an 11% increase in case manager self-efficacy to promote breastfeeding at Posttest 1 and a 16% increase at Posttest 2. Improvement was achieved with all 4 BHSI sites involved in the training. CONCLUSION: We were able to develop and test a comprehensive infant feeding training utilizing QI methods. The QI learning collaborative proved effective in integrating ideas and input across a decentralized program and varying levels of providers and community partners. This approach strengthened staff buy-in and commitment as well as resulted in the development of a curriculum that addressed specific areas of concern for front line staff and the clients they serve.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Explain how quality improvement methods were used to develop and test an infant feeding training curriculum to build perinatal case manager capacity Describe the infant feeding training program developed in collaboration with WIC Discuss process and outcome measures of infant feeding training program for perinatal case managers

Keywords: Breastfeeding, Quality Improvement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principal investigator of the practice based dissertation on utilizing quality improvement methods to develop and implement an infant feeding strategy for Healthy Start.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.