Honors College Theses

Publication Date

5-18-2020

Major

Nursing (BSN)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Gina Crabb

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is considered an emerging crisis in the healthcare world. This crisis has the potential to cause many bacterial diseases that cannot be cured using antibiotic drugs, which can lead to serious infections and death. There have been numerous studies that have found that sugars, proteins and protein-lipid complexes in breastmilk have antimicrobial properties. It has been proposed that these properties in breastmilk can help solve the antibacterial resistance crisis. This research project involved studying antibiotic resistance and how breastmilk can help solve this increasingly prevalent problem.

The implementation step of this research project involved a PowerPoint presentation detailing key facts about antibiotic resistance and breastmilk, while also proposing a plan to help solve this crisis. This was presented to a nursing class and the presentation was evaluated for effectiveness using an anonymous survey. There was a very positive response to the presentation with a few comments on ways to make the information presented better. After the research, implementation, and evaluation, many ideas were put forth that would be beneficial if a furthering of this research was desired.

Thesis Summary

Antibiotic resistance is a major crisis affecting the healthcare world today. Breastmilk has been found to have antibiotic properties that could help combat this crisis. Education on breastfeeding and the antibiotic properties of breastmilk needs to be provided to increase the prevalence of breastfeeding. This research project provided education to a convenient audience in the hopes of increasing breastfeeding, and in turn, decreasing the rate of antibiotic-resistant bacteria becoming resistant.

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