Auguis Clinic & Hospital

#32 North Osmeña Ave., General Santos City 9500 Philippines

083-552-4911 / 09333523592

STEP 2: TRAIN ALL HEALTHCARE STAFF IN SKILLS DOCUMENT ORIG. DATE: 01-2023
NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICY EFFECTIVITY DATE: 01-01-2024

SECTION: NURSING DEPARTMENT DOCUMENT CONTROL NUMBER: ACH-MBF-002-2024

INTRODUCTION
All health care staff who have any contact with mothers, infants and/or children must receive
instruction on the implementation of the breastfeeding policy. Training in breastfeeding and lactation
management should be given to various types of staff including new employees, it should be at least
18 hours in total with a minimum of 3 hours of supervised clinical experience and cover at least 8
steps.

Training at all levels should address the 10 steps, breastfeeding, counselling, and the
International Code.

A policy is of no use unless it is implemented. So, the second step is to train all doctors and
nurses in skills necessary to implement this policy. It ensures that the majority of the staff members
are trained in breastfeeding counselling.

TRAINING SHOULD INCLUDE:

 Advantages of breastfeeding
 Risks of artificial feeding
 Mechanisms of lactation and sucking
 How to help mothers initiate and sustain breastfeeding
 How to assess a breastfeeding session
 How to resolve breastfeeding difficulties
 Orientation and education on hospital breastfeeding policies and practices
 Importance of feeding on cue
 Positioning and attachment
 Risks of artificial feeding and using bottles

WHAT YOU CAN DO.

 General
Training at all levels should address the Ten Steps, breastfeeding counselling, and the
International Code. Consider holding regular meetings to discuss the latest evidence.

 Health System
Advocate for health worker training to include the 10 Steps in pre-service curricula and in-
service training. Make sure trainers know about these materials and the internet links for
them:
o WHO Model Chapter on infant and young child feeding;
o Breastfeeding Promotion and Support in a Baby-Friendly Hospital, a 20-hour course
for maternity staff (Section 3 of the new BFHI materials)
o WHO/UNICEF Breastfeeding Counselling: A Training Course;
 o WHO/UNICEF Infant and young child feeding; An Integrated course;
o WHO Infant and young child feeding: Model Chapter for textbooks for medical
students and allied health professionals

 Community
Advocate for training of peer counsellors and primary care workers to support breastfeeding.

 National / Global
Educate political leaders about the importance of the Ten Steps in health worker training.

HIV ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Issues to consider while implementing this step in-relation to feeding

recommendations for children of HIV-infected mothers and for settings with high
HIV prevalence.

 Staff training needs may vary from facility to facility. If the hospital is already a baby-
friendly hospital, then emphasis should be placed on refresher training related to HIV and
infant feeding.
 If the facility has never implemented the BFHI then BFHI training will need to include
guidance related to HIV and infant feeding, or additional training on this topic will need to be
organized, requiring more time and training resources.
 Training may require a multi-sectoral training team from nutrition, HIV/AIDS and other
MCH sections.
 If there are no master trainers available locally with experience in implementing BFHI in
settings where HIV-positive mothers receive care, external trainers may be needed.

Prepared by: Date: 01-01-2024 Noted by: Date: 01-01-2024 Approved by: Date: 01-01-2024

MARLON A. ALLECER, RN ADORA D. AUGUIS, MD LOURDES D. AUGUIS, M.D.

Human Resource Officer Hospital Administrator Medical Director/Owner