An Evidence-Based Collection on Breastfeeding
Most providers and patients are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. And it is universally recommended by both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics among numerous other healthcare organizations.
Proven benefits to the mother include: decreased risks of breast and ovarian cancers, decreased risk of postpartum depression, and even decreased risk of common chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Proven benefits to the infant include decreased risk of atopic dermatitis, gastroenteritis, and a higher IQ later in life. Additional beneficial associations regarding less risk of autism, cancer, asthma, are seen in observational studies. Consequently, the number of women breastfeeding their children continues to increase.
Furthermore, it is our “duty” in primary care to promote breastfeeding. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) via a 2016 Grade B recommendation states, “the USPSTF recommends providing interventions during pregnancy and after birth to support breastfeeding.”
Here on iMedicalApps, we have examined several breastfeeding apps over the years and recommend readers consider LactMed from the NIH and Breastfeeding Management 2. Those excellent apps focus on medication safety and general guidance on breastfeeding, respectively.
One new app regarding breastfeeding is called LactFacts. The app comes from the Institute for Breastfeeding and Lactation Education (IABLE), a non-profit focused on promotion and support of breastfeeding.
The current president of IABLE is Dr. Anne Eglash, a family physician and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Her team has developed an outstanding point-of-care/evidence-based medicine app for breastfeeding. Their LactFacts tackles a clinical question regarding breastfeeding each week and includes a synopsis of the findings with links to PubMed and their own LactEd website. Additionally, they produce a free podcast that is also accessible via the website. Finally, members of IABLE can access even more resources online, including patient handouts, a video and image library, and more.
Evidence-based medicine
The LactFacts app contains answers to clinical questions about breastfeeding posted each week. It reminds of the Daily POEM from Essential Evidence Plus, but focused on breastfeeding. Each “fact” contains a short summary with a link to the article on PubMed and a link to a more detailed discussion on the LactEd website from IABLE. Some of these questions are then turned into podcasts also available through the app.
The author team from IABLE consists of experts in the breastfeeding field and range from family medicine physicians and pediatricians to lactation consultants.
What providers would benefit from this App?
Students, residents, mid-levels, lactation consultants, nutritionists, primary care, OB/GYN, any provider who counsels women on breastfeeding.
Price
o App is free.
Likes
o Concise summaries of clinical questions on breastfeeding with links to the article and more
o Podcast series on variety of topics with links from the app
o Links to handouts on breastfeeding from IABLE (but requires membership)
Dislikes
o Required IABLE membership to get patient handouts
o Some answers to clinical questions very concise
o Won’t completely fill the need for a concise reference on breastfeeding
Overall Score
o 4.5 stars
User Interface
o 4.0 stars
Nothing fancy, but easy to navigate, search function, and favorites options.
Multimedia Usage
o 4.5 stars
The app includes hyperlinks to PubMed for each “LactFact” articles, links to more detailed discussion on the Lacted website, as well as links to a podcast series by the authors.
Price
o 5.0 stars
App is free.
Real-World Applicability
o 4.5 stars
A great free app for primary care providers and lactation consultants to keep up with the latest evidence in breastfeeding to ensure the best, most-accurate counseling of our patients. Combined with the free podcasts from the same author team makes it unbeatable.
Device Used For Review
o iPhone 11 Pro running iOS 13.2.3
Available for download for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
