Background: Most postpartum women are prescribed at least one medication; so the safety of the medication
is a major concern. In 2017, 11% of 815 questions received by the Pharmacy Drug Information Services at seven
clinics in Dungun is related to medication use in breastfeeding. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate
the attitudes of healthcare providers (HCPs) and to investigate the effect of knowledge about medication use
in breastfeeding among HCPs; pre- and post-educational intervention.
Methods: An interventional study was carried out among medical officers, assistant medical officers,
pharmacists and pharmacist assistants from seven clinics in the district of Dungun, Malaysia. The questionnaires
were distributed during pre- and post-intervention period. The interventions in this study included continuous
medical education (CME) and the use of a booklet regarding medication use for breastfeeding women. The
data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) and presented as frequencies,
means, and standard deviations.
Results: Fifty HCPs were enrolled in this study and over 20% of them advised mothers to discontinue
breastfeeding whenever they are prescribed any medication. The knowledge of HCPs about medication use in
breastfeeding women was significantly improved (Z= -5.917, p