Ošetřovatelské perspektivy 2025, 8(1):53-64 | DOI: 10.25142/osp.2025.003

OPTION THE USE OF LATCH SCORES IN BREASTFEEDING ASSESSMENT

Iveta Ospalíková1, Eva Puhlová1, Petra Abrahamová1
1 Katedra specifických zdravotnických disciplín, Fakulta zdravotnických studií, Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem

Backround: The LATCH score assessment tool is used to map and document breastfeeding. Each letter represents an area of assessment. It is one of the most widely used tools to facilitate the assessment of breastfeeding, and its applications in clinical practice are wide-ranging.

Aim: To analyse the literature on the potential use of the LATCH score in clinical practice.

Methods: The search for suitable studies was performed in the scientific databases PubMed, EBSCO and using the Google Scholar search tool for the period 2003–2023, according to predefined criteria and specified keywords in English, Czech and Slovak languages: breastfeeding, evaluation, tool, LATCH, use. The systematic analysis and selection of studies was based on the PRISMA check list.

Results: A total of 159 studies were retrieved. Seven quantitative studies were used for the final analysis, whose authors used LATCH scores to assess breastfeeding from different perspectives. The results show that it is possible to use this score to predict the duration of breastfeeding in early as well as late six months. When assessing exclusive breastfeeding, in preterm newborns or newborns with ankyloglossia. The predictive ability of the score has also been demonstrated in relation to other risk factors such as maternal age, type of delivery, parity, education and family status.

Conclusion: The predictive ability of LATCH score was demonstrated in all included studies. The use of this tool will significantly influence the identification of mother-infant pairs at risk of premature termination of breastfeeding.

Keywords: breastfeeding, assessment, tool, LATCH, usage

Received: October 6, 2024; Revised: April 28, 2025; Accepted: June 6, 2025; Published: October 6, 2025  Show citation

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Ospalíková I, Puhlová E, Abrahamová P. OPTION THE USE OF LATCH SCORES IN BREASTFEEDING ASSESSMENT. Ošetřovatelské perspektivy. 2025;8(1):53-64. doi: 10.25142/osp.2025.003.
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