The lactation skill gaps of multidisciplinary paediatric healthcare professionals in the UK.

Despite this being a relatively motivated sample of healthcare professionals, the findings of this study suggest that breastfeeding skills are patchy and inconsistent, and particularly lacking when it comes to more complex clinical scenarios. This is significant, because it may mean that children who have more significant illness or medical complexity are disproportionately affected by gaps in knowledge and skill. Medically complex children encounter many barriers to optimal feeding - including absence of designated paediatric lactation staff, resources and support, and may have challenges such as low tone, higher calorie need, and transitioning to the breast after ventilation or enteral feeding. Current skill gaps indicate that existing training would be insufficient, and bespoke paediatric breastfeeding training based on identified clinical challenges is thus justified. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.