Knowledge of health professionals about the distribution of pasteurized human milk

Abstract

Objective: To verify the knowledge of the health team who works in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and / or collective rooming, on the request of pasteurized human milk. Method: an exploratory and a descriptive research, with a quantitative approach, developed in a maternity school, located in Natal/Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The data were collected between May and August 2010, along with 55 professionals, using questionnaires and information obtained were treated with descriptive statistics. Results: the majority of the subjects consisted of women, nursing techniques, aged between 30 and 49. On the need of the infant receiving human milk pasteurized, there is ignorance on the part of professionals, who reported being necessary to request this food for babies of women with little or no colostrum. Conclusion: it is imperative to promote permanent strategies for continuing education among professionals about the functioning of the Human Milk Bank, especially on the distribution of pasteurized human milk.