Objective: Inappropriate or insufficient knowledge of health care professionals about puerperal mastitis can lead mothers to premature weaning, as well as the lack of education on proper breastfeeding. However, the importance of education regarding puerperal mastitis seems to be underestimated.
Material and methods: From July to August 2014, 317 female health care professionals were surveyed in Samsun, Turkey. Participants were classified into three groups; nurses, maternity care nurses (obstetrics and gynecology nurses and pediatrics clinic nurses), and midwives. A specifically prepared questionnaire was used to collect data.
Results: 69.1% (n=219) of female health care professionals had one or more child/ren. The median length of breastfeeding duration was 11 months (0-36) while the overall puerperal mastitis rate was 13.3% (n=29). Puerperal mastitis related cessation of breastfeeding was similar between the groups, with an overall rate of 3.1%. 61.1% of the participants stated that they had one or more hours of education regarding puerperal mastitis while 5.4% indicated that they learned about the pathology from their experiences. Midwives and maternity care nurses were found to be more knowledgeable than nurses regarding the reasons, risk factors, prevention, symptoms, and treatment of puerperal mastitis.
Conclusion: As a result, the current level of education regarding breastfeeding and puerperal mastitis and daily practice in female health care professionals in Turkey is far from desired levels. The breastfeeding education of health care professionals must be adapted to an effective program, such as UNICEF/WHO 20-hour breastfeeding training course, and puerperal mastitis should be accepted as a public health care issue.
Keywords: Breastfeeding health; education; health care professional; knowledge; puerperal mastitis.