Breastfeeding Curriculum

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a comprehensive Breastfeeding Curriculum through its PediaLink platform, aimed at equipping pediatric residents and healthcare professionals with the necessary skills and confidence to support breastfeeding families. Structured around the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Core Competencies, the curriculum provides a flexible framework adaptable to various training environments.

Key Features of the Curriculum:

• Essential Activities: These foundational tasks are designed to be completed by all residents, ensuring a consistent baseline of breastfeeding knowledge and skills.

• Medical Knowledge Modules: Topics covered include breast anatomy, lactation physiology, the impact of medications on breastfeeding, and considerations for LGBTQ+ families.

• Patient Care Modules: These modules address common breastfeeding challenges such as breast pain, poor infant weight gain, and ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), providing practical solutions and management strategies.

• Practice-Based Learning: Learners engage in activities like assessing breastfeeding knowledge gaps, reviewing literature on equity in breastfeeding, and delivering presentations to reinforce learning. 

• Prepared Presentations: The curriculum includes customizable slide decks on topics like basic breastfeeding assessment and management of common problems, facilitating teaching and discussion. 

• Evaluation Tools: Pre- and post-tests are available to assess learners’ knowledge, practice patterns, and confidence before and after completing the curriculum, allowing for measurable outcomes.

Research indicates that implementing this targeted curriculum significantly enhances residents’ knowledge, practice behaviors, and confidence in breastfeeding management. Notably, institutions adopting the curriculum have observed a fourfold increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates among patients.