Breastfeeding Resources in Maternity Hospitals and Birth Centers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (USA): A Content Analysis of Discharge Packets.

Background:Few studies have analyzed patient education materials provided at discharge. To the best of our knowledge, there are no comprehensive studies analyzing and reporting the content of breastfeeding discharge packets within the United States.Objective:This study analyzed the extent to which patient education materials provided at discharge from maternity facilities in Massachusetts cover topics that support successful breastfeeding.Methods:We collected discharge packets from all 48 maternity hospitals/birth centers. Topics for analysis were based on recommendations associated with the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and content identified for discharge packets generally. Materials were reviewed independently and scored according to 39 criteria that we assembled from various sources for optimal breastfeeding information at discharge. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore if any hospital characteristics predicted presence of breastfeeding education topics in written information p...