Ethical, Social Questions about Breastfeeding Interventions Now Easier to Assess
A new framework for assessing whether breastfeeding interventions are ethical and socially appropriate is now available. Built by ethics experts from the University of Zurich, it can help answer important questions, like: How can an infant’s rights be protected? How can a mother’s dignity be safeguarded?
Joint media release: University of Zurich and Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation
Zurich and Frauenfeld, Switzerland, 2 September 2024 – The University of Zurich (UZH) and the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation (FLRF) have launched a free framework for assessing whether breastfeeding interventions are ethical and socially appropriate.
The Public Health Ethics Framework – EFBRI Part II – was built by the Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine (IBME) at UZH, a WHO Collaborating Centre for Bioethics.
The Framework can help policymakers, implementers and health practitioners answer ethical questions about interventions aimed at improving breastfeeding outcomes. The Framework complements EFBRI Part I, which focuses on ethics in breastfeeding research. Together they form EFBRI – An Evolving Ethical Framework Informing Breastfeeding Research and Interventions.
Interested in learning more? Join international experts for their perspectives and case studies on applying the Framework in practice in a free online workshop, 18 September 2024.
Register here: https://lactahub.org/webinar-announcement
Date and time: Wednesday, 18 September 2024, 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM UTC
Hosted on: LactaHub
“Breastfeeding interventions should include a process of ethical reflection, accompanied by appropriate protections, oversight procedures and governance mechanisms. We designed EFBRI Part II to guide stakeholders through these validation processes and safeguards when designing and implementing breastfeeding interventions,” says Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Nikola Biller-Andorno, Director, IBME, UZH.
“As an obstetrician and gynecologist, I am acutely aware of the ethical issues attached to health interventions concerning breastfeeding mothers and their infants. Now with EFBRI Part II, practitioners can better evaluate whether a breastfeeding intervention is ethical and socially appropriate,” says Dr. med. Marco Steiner, President, Foundation Board, FLRF.
More about EFBRI – An Evolving Ethical Framework Informing Breastfeeding Research and Interventions
EFBRI is a framework of established ethics standards and principles created to guide biomedical research and public health interventions involving breastfeeding.
EFBRI Part I is a Research Ethics Framework that synthesizes rules, standards and guidelines from major international and national research ethics documents. It streamlines them into 13 guiding principles that are directly relevant to breastfeeding and lactation research. A separate, consolidated checklist of the general components required for adherence to these principles is included.
EFBRI Part II is a Public Health Ethics Framework that synthesizes rules, standards and guidelines from major international and national research and public health ethics documents. It streamlines them into 9 guiding principles and recommendations that are directly relevant to breastfeeding and lactation interventions.
Together, EFBRI Parts I and II can help safeguard human rights and dignity in efforts to achieve equity in breastfeeding and improve breastfeeding practices and maternal and infant health. Both are freely and exclusively available on the LactaHub breastfeeding knowledge platform – a partnership project of The Global Health Network and FLRF: https://lactahub.org/lactaethics
EFBRI was built through an academic consensus process and validated using experts’ opinions through the Delphi method. The resulting Framework, intended for researchers, reviewers and funders, is a synthesis of relevant Swiss and international norms related to breastfeeding and lactation research. The Framework will be refined and evolved as necessary based on periodic reviews and comments received.
EFBRI illustration by Nadja Stadelman, cover by FRANCHI design.identity.
Photos available for editorial purposes in connection with this media release, including captions, can be downloaded here: www.flrf.droppy.ch/OXxyMY1S (until 16 September 2024)
University of Zurich, Institute of Biomedical Ethics
Michelle Heimgartner
Phone: +41 44 634 40 81
Email: heimgartner@ibme.uzh.ch
Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation
Cassandra Petrakis Zwahlen, global media (EN)
Phone: +41 79 590 11 34
Email: cpz@flrf.org
About the Institute of Biomedical Ethics (IBME)
IBME was founded in 2007. It belongs to the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich (UZH) and forms part of the UZH Centre for Ethics, a well-established interdepartmental institution that plays a prominent role in the Swiss discourse on ethical issues. With its interdisciplinary staff of 20+ senior researchers and an international cohort of PhD students, the IBME is one of Europe’s foremost institutions in the field. In 2009, the IBME was designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre and has since advised WHO on a broad range of ethical issues, some of which have been covered in IBME’s Forum for Global Health Ethics webinar series. www.ibme.uzh.ch/en
About the Family Larsson-Rosequist Foundation (FLRF)
FLRF, established in Switzerland in 2013, is an independent philanthropic organization revitalizing the journey from science to impact. It takes a unique approach: its priority is to increase breastfeeding rates worldwide, so its focus is on helping build innovative, efficient pathways to get there. The team supports and collaborates with researchers, policymakers, practitioners, government leaders and partner organizations working to ensure every child has an optimum start in life through the benefits of breastmilk. Its work is focused in three areas across the journey to empower others: evidence generation to fill critical gaps; evidence-based tools and resources to inform new approaches; and collaboration and partnership to activate sustainable change. https://www.larsson-rosenquist.org/en
Tags:
