Abstract: Objective: To retrieve the evidence of management of delayed onset of lactation among breastfeeding women. Methods: We systematically searched databases and websites for evidence on delayed onset of lactation to collect guidelines, best practices, expert consensuses, systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. The retrieval period was from January 2017 to May 2022. Two researchers with evidence-based nursing background assessed the quality of the literature independently and extracted the evidence. Results: A total of 11 articles were included, including 6 systematic reviews and 5 Randomized Controlled Trials. Twenty pieces of evidence were obtained, including evaluation methods of lactation initiation, influencing factors of lactation initiation, prevention of delayed lactation initiation and intervention. Conclusion: This study summarized 20 pieces of the evidence of management for delayed onset of lactation, which can be applied in clinical practice. Medical staff should formulate management strategies for delayed onset of lactation based on clinical scenarios and influencing factors to reduce the incidence of delayed onset of lactation and to improve breastfeeding rates.

Key words: delayed onset of lactation; management; evidence summary; evidence-based nursing