Guidelines on HIV and Infant Feeding Research Paper

Organization that developed the guideline

This guideline was developed by World Health Organization after conducting a research in this field. This organization sponsored the entire project and made it possible for the researchers to get access to the materials they needed.

The intended users of the guideline

This guideline was meant to guide nurses on how to manage HIV-positive mothers whose children were HIV-free. The affected mothers may also find this guideline to be very important as a way of protecting their children from the virus.

The guideline objective(s)

The objective of this guideline was to find ways through which HIV-positive mothers can protect their HIV-free children from a possible infection. It was also meant to find ways of feeding these children in a proper manner, especially in cases where breastfeeding is eliminated.

Methods used to collect evidence for the guideline

Data was collected from primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected from sampled respondents who were classified into three groups. The respondents had to be HIV-positive mothers whose children are below 18 months. Secondary data was collected from relevant journals, books, and reliable online sources.

Guideline recommendations

The main recommendation from the study was that HIV-positive mothers should avoid breastfeeding their HIV-free children as much as possible. In case breastfeeding was considered unavoidable, then the mother should take necessary medication to eliminate chances of transferring the virus. The guideline also recommended empowering the affected mothers through seminars and mass media.

Nurses in the group that authored the guideline

The study was conducted by a group of doctors and nurses who were contracted by World Health Organization. These nurses were taken from various private and public hospitals within the United States of America.

Relevance of the recommendations to my clinical area

The recommendations are relevant to my clinical area because it empowers the nurses who are handling delicate cases where HIV-positive mothers have to care for HIV-free infants. The recommendations also make it possible for the nurses to find ways of working together with the affected mothers in improving the health of their children.

Summary of Research Study

1. Purpose
   The purpose of this research study was to find effective ways through which mothers who are HIV-positive can feed their HIV-free children without exposing them to the virus. Health experts always recommend breastfeeding as the best way of ensuring that children have proper nutrition within the first six months. However, it is not safe for HIV-positive mothers to breastfeed their HIV-free children because of the fear of mother-to-child infection. This study was meant to find a solution to this problem.
2. Type of study design
   The researchers in this study used evidence-based research design. This design was chosen because of the desire to come up with outcomes which are supported by practical studies. According to Grossman (2013), evidence-based research is very important when conducting medical research. This is so because any mistake in the findings may be very disastrous if the outcome is implemented as per the recommendations. It explains the reason why the researchers chose to use evidence-based research.
3. Methods used
   The researchers used randomized clinical trials (RCT) in this study. The study group was selected from mothers who are HIV-positive. The participating mothers were classified into three main clusters. In the first cluster included mothers whose children were aged 0-5 months. The second cluster included mothers whose children were aged 6-11 months. The last cluster had mothers whose children were aged 12-18 months. Further data were obtained from cohorts to further support the findings of the study. The stratification was considered important because it was necessary to determine the risk levels based on the age of a child. There are cases where a mother becomes infected with the virus after giving birth. The interest was to determine the risk level of a mother transferring the virus to the child through breastfeeding.
4. Major results
   The study revealed that HIV-free infants whose mothers are HIV positive must be protected to ensure that they do not get infected by the virus. To do this, the CD 4 count and the level of the virus in the body of the mothers must be established before they can be allowed to breastfeed their children. It was also determined that breastfeeding mothers should take antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to minimize the possibility of mother-to-child infection. The researchers also established that the safest way of eliminating a possible mother-to-child HIV transmission is to avoid breastfeeding.
5. Application to nursing practice
   Nursing practice may be very critical in fighting mother-to-child HIV transmission. First, nurses should ensure that HIV-status of the mother is known as soon as she starts prenatal clinics. In case the mother is HIV-positive, the mother should get proper medication to protect the child, especially when giving birth. After giving birth, nurses should inform these mothers about the best strategies they can use to feed their infants without exposing them to the virus.
6. Implementation plan into the maternal-newborn practice setting
   Implementation plan into the maternal-newborn practice setting will be critical to help educate these mothers on how they can protect their children from the virus. It should be integrated into nursing practice (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015).

References

Grossman, S. (2013). Mentoring in nursing: A dynamic and collaborative process. New York: Springer Pub. Co.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community. St. Louis: Elsevier.