Prospective study on continuation of breast feeding and prevention of lactation mastitis among postpartum women

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 16592171
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Clinical nursing
• Research Institution: Mie Prefectural College of Nursing
• Principal Investigator: KAWADA Midori Mie Prefectural College of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Associate Professor, 看護学部, 助教授 (90364166)
• Project Period (FY): 2004 – 2005
• Keywords: Infection Control Nursing / Breast feeding / Mastitis

Research Abstract

Aim : The purpose of the present study was to investigate problems of breast feeding among working-women, and nursing care to prevent lactation mastitis(L.M) using both bacteriological and molecular-epidemiological methods.
Methods : We conducted the study on working-women and non-working-women. They gave birth at a hospital. We collected data at discharge from the hospital(discharge), at one month after birth(one month), and three months after birth(three months). Data were collected by using questionnaires for breast feeding, handwashing, and samples ; swabs of the mother's nares and nipples. The bacteria isolated from the swabs were identified by standard methods. When Staphylococcus aureus was isolated, Susceptibility testing of six antibiotics and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) were performed.
Results : Data from 32 women were available for analysis. They were 24 to 42 years of age, with a mean age of 31.34±3.747 years. 12 women of them were working-women. When they carried out breast feeding and changing diapers more than 80% of them carried out bandwashing regardless of dirt at discharge. However, more than 30% of them carried out handwashing at one month, and three months when they found out dirt of hands visually. For breast feeding, the hope of continuation in working-women was significantly shorter at discharge than that in non-working-women. S.aureus was isolated from anterior nares in 18.2% of them at discharge. However, a percentage of hold of S.aureus increased with time. For DNA analysis of the S.aureus strains by PFGE, DNA fragment patterns of Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus(MSSA) strains isolated from two mothers were indistinguishable, but they could not have met on the same day in the hospital.
Conclusions : The present study may indicate that health guidance of handwashing is very important for mothers to prevent LM after discharge from the hospital.