Evaluation of Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative: Comparing Clients' and Providers' Perspective

Abstract

Background and Objective: By creating supportive hospital environments, WHO and UNICEF's BabyFriendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) encourages breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to compare how
clients and providers perceive the BFHI initiative and assess BFHI practices.
Methods: Five postpartum wards from five tertiary hospitals in Lahore were randomly chosen for a crosssectional study for one year. With comorbidity excluded, 413 multiparous females in the postoperative
obstetrics ward were included in the study. Over the course of eight visits, 10 clients and 75 providers were
randomly chosen from each ward. ALikert scale (1–4) was used in the structured questionnaire to collect the
data, and scores more than 3 were deemed satisfactory. For the analysis, SPSS 23 was utilized.
Results: With 100% agreement on six out of ten questions and 98.7% on four, providers demonstrated a high
level of satisfaction. Significant results were indicated by the p-value of less than 0.001. Client satisfaction
varied greatly, with a low of 8.2% agreeing to avoid artificial pacifiers and a maximum of 88.6% agreeing to
exclusive breastfeeding support.
Conclusion: BFHI was viewed well by both clients and providers, with clients reporting satisfaction ranging
from 8.2% to 88.6% and providers indicating 98.7–100% satisfaction. It is advised that health education
should be implemented on both clients and providers.
Key Words: Baby friendly hospital initiative (BFHI), World health organization (WHO), UNICEF,
Breastfeeding