ReviewInternational breastfeeding journal2026
NICU nurses' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and influencing factors regarding breastfeeding of newborns: a scoping review.
Review in International breastfeeding journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Critical Factors Influencing the Uptake of Breastfeeding Support Interventions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundImproved survival rates of high-risk neonates have been accompanied by persistent challenges in breastfeeding support within Neonatal Intensive Care Unit settings. While the World Health Organization strongly advocates for breastfeeding, global breastfeeding rates in NICUs remains suboptimal. NICU nurses play a key role in breastfeeding support, yet their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) remain systematically underexplored. This study aims to assess NICU nurses’ current levels of breastfeeding-related KAP and explore influencing factors, thereby identifying key intervention areas and providing evidence for targeted interventions and training programs.
methodsThis scoping review followed the Arksey and O’Malley framework and systematically searched Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL for studies published up to 6 April 2025. Studies were screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and synthesized, focusing on NICU nurses’ breastfeeding-related knowledge, attitudes, practices, and influencing factors.
resultsFourteen studies across nine countries were ultimately included. NICU nurses generally acknowledged the benefits of breastfeeding and maintained positive attitudes, particularly those who had received breastfeeding training. However, their professional knowledge was notably insufficient, particularly regarding lactation physiology and contraindications to breastfeeding. Consequently, positive attitudes did not consistently translate into standardized clinical practice, with notable variability in implementation and heavy reliance on personal experience. These knowledge-attitude-practice gaps were influenced by multiple factors operating at individual, institutional, and family levels. Furthermore, the assessment of KAP revealed significant methodological challenges, as the included studies used highly heterogeneous assessment tools, often self-designed or adapted, highlighting a lack of standardized KAP instruments tailored to NICU settings.
conclusionsThis review reveals a critical knowledge-attitude-practice gap in NICU breastfeeding support. While nurses’ attitudes are positive, their knowledge is deficient and practices inconsistent, a discordance driven by individual, institutional, and methodological challenges. Bridging this gap requires a multi-pronged strategy focused on competency-based training, supportive policies, and the development of validated, NICU-specific assessment tools.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.