Donor human milk is the recommended alternative for feeding preterm or low birth weight infants when the mother’s own milk is unavailable or not in sufficient quantity. Globally, the needs of vulnerable infants for donor human milk exceed the supply. This review aimed to identify the factors impacting the sustainability of human milk donation to milk banks. A systematic review of the literature was performed on eight databases to retrieve articles published until December 2021. The study protocol is available in PROSPERO (#CRD42021287087). Among the 6722 references identified, 10 studies (eight quantitative observational and two qualitative) met the eligibility criteria for a total of 7053 participants. Thirty factors influencing the sustainability of the donations to milk banks were identified and categorized as follows: (1) donation duration, (2) donors’ infant features (e.g., gestational age, birth weight), (3) donors’ features (e.g., socio-demographic characteristics, milk donation history), and (4) factors related to the milk bank and health care systems (awareness and support). The available evidence suggests that larger volumes of donated milk are associated with a longer duration of donation, as are early donation, previous milk donation, and donors with an infant of smaller weight and gestational age. Supporting and encouraging early donation and recruiting donors with infants of low birth weight and low gestational age could support longer donation times and greater volumes of milk donated. To identify efficient strategies and to draw appropriate recommendations to improve donor milk access, future studies should further explore the issues of the sustainability of human milk donation to milk banks.

Background: Human Papillomavirus is a common sexually transmitted infection, representing the main cause of genital warts and cervical cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate basic knowledge and beliefs regarding HPV infection and HPV vaccine among undergraduate healthcare men and women students, as well as their attitudes towards HPV vaccine. Methods: Undergraduate women and men (nursing and midwifery curses) attending three Schools of Health Sciences located in Switzerland. A total of 427 women and 223 men have completed the web questionnaire, which included questions on their socio-demographic background and about basic knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV infection and vaccination. Results: Women undergraduate students have a better knowledge of HPV infection than their men counterparts, although there was a significant gap in knowledge of the disease’s mode of transmission and prevention. Among women, 72.6% of respondents reported having received at least one dose of HPV vaccines versus 31.4% for men respondents. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed a poor understanding among undergraduate healthcare men and women students about the HPV infection, its mode of transmission and its prevention. Our findings highlight the need to improve education on HPV for undergraduate healthcare students in order to increase the awareness of the disease.

Digital media such as Apps, Internet and social networks have become integral parts of the maternity experience for more than a decade. These media can support or undermine women's experiences as has been shown in digital sociology research. Using Immediate Messaging Applications to provide information and support to women during the perinatal period is an emerging practice. This article analyses how health and social care professionals - with a focus on community midwives - and women communicate between postpartum home visits through Immediate Message Applications in Switzerland. A socio-anthropological study that relied on qualitative methods including semi-directed interviews with midwives and health and social care professionals (n = 30) and immigrant women (n = 20). Since the introduction of Immediate Messaging Applications, women and their carer converse more regularly between post-partum home visits. Women send questions, pictures and videos to them, often allowing swift responses to their concerns. Midwives encounter difficulties answering women's questions when they cannot be solved through quick communication (e.g. infant crying). To them, texting frequency forms a clinical clue to women's mental health. Not all women contact their carer through digital messages; immigrant women are less likely to know and use this service. Immediate Messaging Applications form a promising communication tool, complementary to home visits, and contribute to woman-centered care and continuity of care. As an emergent practice, it has not been framed by a guideline yet. Policy makers and practitioners should ensure that its use does not contribute to unequal access to care.

Smartphones' development has allowed continuous access to information about the perinatal period on digital media. Knowing about immigrant women's experience on digital media may help health and social care professionals to fine-tune their care. Our primary aim is to analyse how immigrant women experience information about the perinatal period on digital media. Our secondary aim is to discuss how health and social care professionals perceive the experiences of these women. A qualitative study conducted in Switzerland encompassing semi-directed interviews with immigrant women (n = 20), health and social care professionals (n = 30) and interpreters (n = 12) completed with ethnographic observations and interviews. Immigrant women form a diverse social group. They consequently use an array of social media to find information about the perinatal period depending on their linguistic and digital skills. Reflexively, they expect information found online to be of unequal quality and value information provided by professionals. They adapt their practices to their experience and may avoid media that negatively affects them. Their experience with digital media reflects the overall perinatal experience, providing clues for carers. Professionals worry about the difficult situations some immigrant women live in and stress that digital portals form barriers to services. Professionals may overlook immigrant women's use of digital media and their need for guidance. Immigrant women use digital media to find information about the perinatal period to prepare for birth and the post-partum. They rely on unequal capabilities to do so and need translated information and holistic woman-centred support.

Mother’s own milk (MOM) offers the highest protection for preterm and low birth weight infants. However, breastfeeding can be challenging during neonatal hospitalization. When MOM is unavailable, donor human milk (DHM) is the recommended alternative for feeding vulnerable neonates. Human milk banks (HMBs) collect, process, and deliver DHM, playing a key role in lactation support and promoting MOM availability. Although HMBs are expanding globally, scale-up remains hindered, restricting equitable DHM access. In Switzerland, despite the existence of eight HMBs, the western region lacked such a facility until 2022. To address this gap, an interdisciplinary team from the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the Swiss Red Cross Interregional Blood Transfusion Centre (TIR) collaborated to establish a regional HMB. This partnership leveraged both institutions’ available expertise, infrastructure, and resources. After two years of preparation, the CHUV Lactarium launched in 2022 with the support of the Department of Health and Social Action (DSAS) of the Canton of Vaud. This novel human milk bank–blood bank model is fully integrated into the hospital’s neonatal care, nutrition, and breastfeeding programs, operating under a strict quality and coordination system. Since its implementation, the HMB has met 100% of DHM needs, with an 80% breastfeeding bridging rate. It has had a positive impact on neonatal care, family engagement, professional interest, and community awareness of human milk. This case study illustrates how synergistic collaboration can help bridge gaps in establishing a safe, efficient, and equitable HMB model. It also offers a scalable framework adaptable to other settings.

Objective: This review will synthesize and integrate the best available evidence on the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in access to and the provision of maternity services in Europe. The review will also consider health care professionals’ experiences in providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Introduction: Governments and maternity services have introduced various protective sanitary and organizational measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the global population, including health care professionals. Since March 2020, the number of publications on this topic has soared, yet little is known about the effect of the pandemic and the accompanying measures on access to and the provision of maternity care in Europe. Inclusion criteria: The review will consider quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies on the impact of COVID-19 on European maternity services. For the quantitative component, the review will consider studies evaluating maternity services outcomes across all types of maternity care settings. For the qualitative component, the review will consider studies exploring maternity health care providers’ experiences and perceptions of the impact of the pandemic on care provided to women and their babies. Methods: Six bibliographic databases will be searched for published and unpublished studies since March 2020. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will follow JBI's segregated mixed methods approach. The quantitative component will be adapted to follow the JBI requirements for systematic reviews of etiology and risk. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42021283878