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NICHQ Study on Promoting Infant Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic was Published by Nursing for Women’s Health

early childhoodquality improvement

BOSTON – A study exploring the phenomenon of clinicians’ perceptions and experiences of promoting infant safe sleep and breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic was published in Science Direct online on February 17, 2023, by Nursing for Women’s Health. 

Maternity Care Clinicians’ Experiences Promoting Infant Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic details findings from a study led by NICHQ researchers of maternity care services of 10 U.S. hospitals from April through September 2020. Participants were asked about challenges and opportunities promoting infant safe sleep and breastfeeding during the pandemic, and researchers identified four key themes: Strain on Clinicians Related to Hospital Policies, Coordination, and Capacity; Effects of Isolation for Parents in Labor and Delivery; Reevaluating Outpatient Follow-Up Care and Support; and Adopting Shared Decision-Making around Infant Safe Sleep and Breastfeeding. 

NICHQ authors include: 

  • Meera Menon, PhD, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation (Lead Author) 
  • Rebecca Huber, MPP, Senior Analyst 
  • Stacy Scott, PhD, MPA, VP, Health Equity Innovation (Executive Project Director) 
  • Rebecca B. Russell, MSPH, VP, Applied Research and Evaluation 
  • Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP, President and CEO (Principal Investigator) 

Learn more about NICHQ’s project, National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep Improvement and Innovation Network (NAPPSS-IIN).   

NICHQ thanks participating expert advisors and faculty, including 10 hospital teams with 29 clinicians participating in the NAPPSS-IIN project. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge contributing authors Lori Feldman-Winter, MD, MPH, and Michael H. Goodstein, MD, FAAP. The authors wish to thank the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) team involved in this project: Sara Kinsman, MD, MSCE, PhD; Maureen Perkins, MPH; Bethany Miller, MSW, MEd; and Erin Reiney, MPH. We also thank HRSA for their vision and commitment to ensuring the promotion of infant safe sleep and breastfeeding practices.  

This project was supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under grant number HRSA-17-094, National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep Program, $4,988,565. The information or content and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nor the U.S. Government. 

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