Healthcare provider's experiences of supporting breastfeeding: protocol for a systematic review of qualitative evidence

Introduction Breastfeeding provides various health benefits to both mothers and infants. Despite the efforts that have been made, breastfeeding rates remain lower than recommended worldwide. Healthcare providers often fail to provide the support women need due to various reasons such as lack of time and competency, discontinuity of care and so on. Synthesis of the primary qualitative studies exploring healthcare providers' experience with supporting breastfeeding can provide greater insights into their perceived barriers and facilitators and further provide evidence for the implementation of interventions to improve breastfeeding services. Methods and analysis Qualitative studies exploring healthcare providers' experiences with breastfeeding services will be searched in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, Chinese Wanfang Data, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, Open Grey collection. Studies reported in English or Chinese and conducted between January 1990 to July 2021 will be included. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research will be used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. The JBI standardised data extraction tools will be used to extract data. The JBI meta-aggregation method will be used to synthesise the data. The synthesised findings will be graded finally according to the ConQual approach to establish confidence. Two authors will independently screen and select the search output, extract data, assess methodological quality and cluster findings. Any disagreements that arise between the two reviewers will be adjudicated by a third reviewer to reach a consensus. Ethics and dissemination This review will use published data, so it will not require ethical approval. The findings of this systematic review will be disseminated via an international peer-reviewed journal publication and several scientific conference presentations. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021254542.

Automated summary

This study aims to synthesize primary qualitative studies exploring healthcare providers' experience with supporting breastfeeding. The researchers will search multiple databases and use systematic review methods to analyze and synthesize the data, providing greater insights into healthcare providers' perceived barriers and facilitators. It will be valuable for the development of interventions to improve breastfeeding services.