Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in the Middle East Countries: A Review of the Literature Gli Fakher Abobaker Ahmed1, Spence Dale2, Lynn Finoa3, Tubman Richard4, Sadeq Zeyad Mohammed5 1College of Nursing, Kirkuk University, Iraq 2Senior Lecturer, Queen's University, Belfast, UK, Professor Linda Johnston, University of Toronto, Canada 3Lecturer, Queen's University, Belfast, UK 4Consultant Neonatologist, Belfast Trust, UK 5College of Medicine, Kirkuk University, Iraq *Corresponding Author: Fakher Abobaker Ahmed Gli, College of Nursing, Kirkuk University, Iraq, MSc Paediatric Nursing, Hawler Medical University, Iraq, Former PhD student at Queen's University, Belfast e-mail: fgli01@qub.ac.uk, gliahmed@uokirkuk.edu.iq
Online published on 23 December, 2019. Abstract Background Successful implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative programme with continued prenatal and postnatal support for mothers is of great importance at the local, national and global levels, and effectively contributes to the increased initiation, duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. Aim The aim of this review is to identify any published studies on BFHI related to the promotion, support and protection of breastfeeding in Middle East countries and regions. Method Three electronic search databases were used: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL plus); Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline) (1946 to 2018); and Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE). In addition, a hand search of relevant journals was conducted, including the International Breastfeeding Journal and Journal of Human Lactation, and the Iraqi Virtual Science Library and Iraqi Academic Scientific Journals database. The search was limited to studies published in English or Arabic. No limits were placed on the search in relation to publication date. Results A total of 1542 records were identified from the database searches, 400 of which were duplicates of the 1142 records screened by title and abstract, 1130 were excluded, as they mostly related to breastfeeding and not the BFHI programme. The full texts of 12 studies were reviewed and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 5 studies eligible for inclusion in this review. Conclusion Two main gaps have been identified through the literature review. First, there is a dearth of studies which apply Organisation Readiness for Change (ORC) theory to assess clinical and non-clinical staffing levels required to deliver the BFHI programme. Second, few researchers have sought to understand how the organisational cultures of individual hospitals influence compliance with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the Code. Top Keywords Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code), Organisational Readiness for Change (ORC), barriers and facitators to BFHI. Top |