nursingmanagement.org

Volume 10 Issue 8

Rural Nurses’ Views on Breastmilk Banking in Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Qualitative Study

Mantji Annah Mahlatjie,Makoma Bopape andTebogo Maria Mothiba
1Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Limpopo, Sovenga 0727, South Africa
2Executive Dean of Health Sciences, Professor, University of Limpopo, Sovenga 0727, South Africa
 
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract

The development of breastmilk banks is being established among the African population, including in Limpopo Province. However, the views of nurses directly handling the donated breastmilk in the province remain unknown. This study was aimed at exploring and describing the views of nurses towards breastmilk banking in the Mankweng area, Limpopo Province. A qualitative, descriptive, and explorative study was undertaken at a tertiary hospital and a rural feeder clinic in the Mankweng area. Purposive sampling was employed to obtain participants for the interviews. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the views of these nurses. Data were analysed using Tesch’s open coding method, with the information obtained being grouped into different themes and sub-themes. Almost all nurses were willing to donate their breastmilk to the bank. However, receiving donated breastmilk for their own children seemed to be a challenge due to the safety of the donated breastmilk, uncertainty about the screening process, and cultural issues. Although donation of breastmilk appeared to be well supported by almost all the nurses, the use of donated breastmilk seemed to be not fully acceptable. Increased awareness about breastmilk donation and banking should be prioritised in the province.
Keywords: donation; donated breastmilk; nurses; breastmilk banks; views