Breastfeeding is an integral part of early childhood interventions as it can prevent serious childhood and maternal illnesses. For breastfeeding support programmes to be effective, a better understanding of contextual factors that influence women's engagement and satisfaction with these programmes is needed. The aim of this synthesis is to suggest strategies to increase the level of satisfaction with support programmes and to better match the expectations and needs of women. We systematically searched for studies that used qualitative methods for data collection and analysis and that focused on women's experiences and perceptions regarding breastfeeding support programmes. We applied a maximum variation purposive sampling strategy and used thematic analysis. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies using a modified version of the CASP tool and assessed our confidence in the findings using the GRADE‐CERQual approach. We included 51 studies of which we sampled 22 for in‐depth analysis. Our sampled studies described the experiences of women with formal breastfeeding support by health care professionals in a hospital setting and informal support as for instance from community support groups. Our findings illustrate that the current models of breastfeeding support are dependent on a variety of contextual factors encouraging and supporting women to initiate and continue breastfeeding. They further highlight the relevance of providing different forms of support based on socio‐cultural norms and personal backgrounds of women, especially if the support is one‐on‐one. Feeding decisions of women are situated within a woman's personal situation and may require diverse forms of support.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) may be discontinued because of apparent harm, benefit, or futility. Other RCTs are discontinued early because of insufficient recruitment. Trial discontinuation has ethical implications, because participants consent on the premise of contributing to new medical knowledge, Research Ethics Committees (RECs) spend considerable effort reviewing study protocols, and limited resources for conducting research are wasted. Currently, little is known regarding the frequency and characteristics of discontinued RCTs.

Multiple barriers to knowledge translation in medicine have been identified (ranging from information overload to abstraction of models), leading to important implementation gaps. This study aimed at assessing the suggestions of practicing physicians for possible improvements of knowledge translation (KT) effectiveness into clinical practice. We used a mixed methods design. French- German- and Italian-speaking general practitioners, psychiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, cardiologists, and diabetologists practicing in Switzerland were interrogated through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and an online survey. A total of 985 physicians from three regions of Switzerland participated in the online survey, whereas 39 participated in focus group discussions and 14 in face-to-face interviews. Physicians expressed limitations and difficulties related to KT into their daily practice. Several barriers were identified, including influence and pressure of pharmaceutical companies, non-publication of negative results, mismatch between guidelines and practice, education gaps, and insufficient collaboration between research and practice. Suggestions to overcome barriers were improving education concerning the evaluation of scientific publications, expanding applicability of guidelines, having free and easy access to independent journals, developing collaborations between research and practice, and creating tools to facilitate access to medical information. Our study provides suggestions for improving KT into daily medical practice, matching the views, needs and preferences of practicing physicians. Responding to suggestions for improvements brought up by physicians may lead to better knowledge translation, higher professional satisfaction, and better healthcare outcomes.

Background: Crisis communication might not reach non-native speakers or persons with low literacy levels, a low socio-economic status, and/or an auditory or visual impairments as easily as it would reach other citizens. The aim of this rapid review was to synthesize the evidence on strategies used to improve inclusive pandemic-related crisis communication in terms of form, channel, and outreach. Methods: After a comprehensive search and a rigorous screening and quality assessment exercise, twelve comparative studies were selected for inclusion in this review. Data were analyzed and represented by means of a structured reporting of available effects using narrative tables. Results: The findings indicate that a higher message frequency (on any channel) may lead to a lower recall rate, audio–visual productions and tailored messages prove to be valuable under certain conditions, and primary healthcare practitioners appear to be the most trusted source of information for most groups of citizens. Trust levels were higher for citizens who were notified in advance of potential exceptions to the rule in the effect of preventive and curative measures promoted. Conclusions: This review contributes to combatting information inequality by providing evidence on how to remove the sensorial, linguistic, cultural, and textual barriers experienced by minorities and other underserved target audiences in COVID-19-related governmental crisis communication in response to the societal, health-related costs of ineffective communication outreach.

Several studies have been performed to understand the way family physicians apply knowledge from medical research in practice. However, very little is known concerning family physicians in Switzerland. In an environment in which information constantly accumulates, it is crucial to identify the major sources of scientific information that are used by family physicians to keep their medical knowledge up to date and barriers to use these sources. Our main objective was to examine medical knowledge translation (KT) practices of Swiss family physicians. The population consisted of French- and German-speaking private practice physicians specialised in family medicine. We conducted four interviews and three focus groups (n = 25). The interview guides of the semi-structured interviews and focus groups focused on (a) ways and means used by physicians to keep updated with information relevant to clinical practice; (b) how they consider their role in translating knowledge into practice; (c) potential barriers to KT; (d) solutions proposed by physicians for effective KT. Family physicians find themselves rather ambivalent about the translation of knowledge based on scientific literature, but generally express much interest in KT. They often feel overwhelmed by “information floods” and perceive clinical practice guidelines and other supports to be of limited usefulness for their practice. They often combine various formal and informal information sources to keep their knowledge up to date. Swiss family physicians report considering themselves as artisans, caring for patients with complex needs. Improved performance of KT initiatives in family medicine should be tailored to actual needs and based on high quality evidence-based sources.

Background Childhood vaccination rates fluctuate over time and do not always meet the levels recommended by the WHO. Objective This study aims to provide an overview of measures countries have introduced to increase vaccination rates. Methods We developed a structured data collection template that was completed by country experts from Europe, Israel, the USA, and Canada. Experts were identified using the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies' HSPM (Health Systems and Policy Monitor) network. We approached experts from 32 countries and received responses from 22 countries. In the template we asked for measures introduced between 2014 and 2019. The experts were asked to indicate the type of intervention, the target population, possible positive and negative effects, and evidence on effectiveness. The information was collected between September 2019 and January 2020. Results We identified four main types of interventions: restrictive measures for the unvaccinated, financial incentives, measures supporting the logistics of vaccination, and vaccination promotion campaigns. Restrictive measures often involved expanding existing mandatory vaccination policies or limiting access to pre-school activities for unvaccinated children. Financial incentives for healthcare providers showed some positive effects. Regarding logistical support, several countries used schools as alternative vaccination sites, though this presented organisational challenges. Many countries invested in improving knowledge among both healthcare professionals and parents to encourage vaccine uptake. Conclusions Most initiatives implemented in the countries covered focussed on communication and knowledge enhancement. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of these measures on vaccination coverage.