Dear Marsha, I like this idea very much. I think that we really need to
address this in a way that counts, ..As those who know me know, I am not
actually much of a complainer... ..I am a person who likes to act as a
change agent. I would suggest that we discuss this further, get a
researcher who is skilled to draw up a form that can be posted on my
website, and downloaded...and then have the "study" parameters laid
out....and then do it.
Part of the problem I see is that those who have the power to help do not
always have the skills to do so, whether they be nurse, lactation
consultant or any derivative thereof, doctor, or lay counselor. I also see
a huge problem when our professional designations are split...reminding me
of the discussion of diploma, 2 and 4 year nursing preparations. If we want
to be effective and respected as professionals, we must prepare ourselves
as professionals, and not in a hurried and abbreviated way. Our body of
knowledge must be consistent, and not based on our own personal issues
around mothering/breastfeeding.
Ok Marsha. Thoughts? Where shall we go from here? I see this as a valuable
opportunity.
Kathleen
At 08:59 AM 6/19/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Our pissed off list mother has brought up an issue that perhaps those of us
>on Lactnet might be able to address. The scenario Kathleen described is one
>of the major reasons breastfeeding continuation rates are so low in the US. I
>have an idea. In order to make changes at the levels where it is needed we
>need data to show that there is a problem. One thing we lack is data on the
>number of visits/phone calls made to lactation consultants for the situation
>that Kathleen describes, as well as outcomes. Would it be possible for one of
>our Lactnet researchers to design a simple form for us to use as a log of
>these incidents? Each time a mother contacts one of us, we would fill out the
>form and each month send a summary to the hospital or health provider office
>that generated the problem.
>
>When we have six months worth or so, we would then send the summary to our
>respective state public health department, targeted to the offices that
>oversee hospital licensure and Title V funding. Submitting a complaint with
>the evidence and continued pressure might help provoke some changes. This
>data on "health care utilization" would also be quite valuable in justifying
>the need for third party reimbursement for lactation care and services.
>
>I would be happy to have all of the reports sent to me and house them in one
>spot. When we get enough we could have them analyzed by an expert to make
>recommendations. Sounds like Lactnet could be first author on an article that
>might make some change happen. What do people think?
>
>Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
>Weston, MA
>
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Kathleen B. Bruce, BSN, IBCLC co-owner Lactnet, Indep. Consultant
http://together.net/~kbruce/kbbspin.html
LACTNET Archives http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
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