Workplace Lactation in Neurology: Barriers and Opportunities - Part 2

In the last episode of the series, Dr. Stacey Clardy and Drs. Deborah Hall and Deborah Setter discuss some practical changes that can immediately improve lactation support in neurology workplaces. 

Show transcript:

Dr. Stacey Clardy:

This is the Neurology Minute. I'm Stacey Clardy from the Salt Lake City VA and the University of Utah. I've just had a fantastic in depth podcast discussion with Deborah Hall from Rush University and Deborah Setter from Olmsted Medical Center on their paper titled Workplace Lactation in Neurology: Barriers and Opportunities. You can find that in Neurology Clinical Practice.

Deborah Hall, what are some practical changes that can immediately improve lactation support in neurology workplaces?

Dr. Deborah Hall:

One practical change that could be considered is to plan immediately when you know a provider will be going out on maternity leave. Prior to departure, you can plan what that schedule's going to look like when that provider returns. Ensure that they have those 30 minute breaks every two to three hours in their inpatient or outpatient schedule. Make sure that there's a space for them and have them go look at it that would be appropriate for their lactation breaks. You want to make sure they have that dedicated refrigerator for breast milk storage. And finally, make a plan for compensation. It's really important that they understand how their productivity targets and how compensation will be affected by the breaks that they will be taking.

Dr. Stacey Clardy:

Easy to make changes, right? And as we discuss in the full-length podcast, please everyone take a listen to this. This is something we can all improve on to support all of our colleagues in neurology. Please have a listen to the full-length podcast. We give you everything that you need to know to be a better support to your colleagues. Thanks so much, Deborah.