This was a cross-sectional study which attempts to assess the effectiveness of the 18-
hour lactation management course organised by Klang District Health Office for its health staff. The
course was conducted for three days from 19 to 21 September, 2006 with a total of 18 hours, comprising
15 hours of lectures and three hours of supervised clinical experience. There were a total of 46
participants for the course. The pre- and post-test scores of the participants from the course were used
for analysis. This study showed that the mean pre-test versus mean post-test scores were 12.63 and
19.87. The difference in the mean score was statistically significant (p < 0.001, 95%CI -8.285, -6.193).
The difference was significant for the staff nurse, community nurse and assistant nurse but not for
doctors. In conclusion, the 18-hour duration lactation management course was effective at improving
the knowledge and skills on breastfeeding management for the health staff.