The Effect of Consulting Correct Techniques of Breastfeeding on Treatment of Fissure on the Nipple in Primiparous Mothers Referred to Hamadan Healthcare Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study

Background: Nipple fissures are frequent complaints of breastfeeding mothers. Many treatments have been used to treat this problem. However, low-risk methods are more useful for treatment. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of consulting correct techniques of breastfeeding on the treatment of fissures on the nipple in primiparous mothers referred to Hamadan healthcare centers during 2017. Methods: This is a clinical trial study that was conducted on two groups comprised of 74 primiparous mothers who were admitted to Hamadan health centers in 2017. They were randomly assigned to two groups of treatment and control. After completing the demographic questionnaire, the intervention group received breastfeeding consultation 3-5, 10, and 15 days after birth, and the control group received routine training like applying a little expressed milk on nipples. Storr and Bristol Scales were completed by the researcher before and one week after the last consultation session. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20, and the significance level was considered 0.05. Results: The results showed that the mean score of the Bristol checklist in the intervention group after counseling was significantly increased (p<0.05), and there were also more people in the intervention group with improvement in their nipple fissures (66.7% vs. 37.9% at the score of zero). Conclusion: Multi-session and face-to-face correct techniques of breastfeeding counselling can help nipple fissure healing in nursing mothers.