A qualitative inquiry of speech-language therapists' views about breastfeeding management.
Danica Schlome, Esedra Krüger, Bhavani Pillay
PMID 39935168WHAT IT FOUND
Experienced therapists described managing infant swallowing issues but reported little training on general breastfeeding support.
They used self-made checklists instead of standard tests and relied on extra courses or mentoring to fill gaps in skills for common feeding difficulties.
Key findings
01Therapists in this sample did not use a standardised protocol for breastfeeding assessment, relying instead on self-developed checklists and clinical observation.
02Participants felt their university training focused on swallowing anatomy and pathology, leaving them under-prepared for general breastfeeding issues like milk supply or maternal breast pain.
03Competence was built through independent research, extra courses, and mentoring rather than formal undergraduate preparation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (12 participants) and purposively selected for interest in breastfeeding, so it does not represent all SLTs. Participants were experienced (5+ years), so the findings may not reflect the views of newly qualified therapists. The study is qualitative and reports perceptions and themes, not objective measures of clinical outcomes or efficacy.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial or personal relationships that could bias the work. Institutional ethical approval was obtained from the University of Pretoria.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as evidence that current university training is inadequate for all SLTs or that informal checklists are unsafe. The study describes the perceptions of a small, self-selected group of experienced therapists who actively sought extra training. It does not measure patient outcomes or prove that standardised protocols would yield better results.