The effect of olive cream on pain and healing of caesarean section wounds: a randomised controlled clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: This study was performed to determine the effect of olive cream on the severity of pain and healing of caesarean section wounds. Method: This study is a parallel randomised clinical trial that was conducted on women who had caesarean sections at Ayatollah Taleghani Hospital in Arak, Iran. Women were assigned to intervention, placebo and control groups by a block randomisation method. Women in the intervention and placebo groups were asked to use olive cream and placebo cream, respectively, twice a day from the second day after surgery to the tenth day. The wound healing score and pain intensity score were assessed using the REEDA and VAS scales, respectively, before and at the end of the intervention. Results: The intervention group consisted of 34 women, the placebo group of 34 women and the control group of 35 women. We found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and placebo groups, intervention and control groups, and placebo and control groups in terms of the pain intensity (p<0.05 in all three cases). Also, we found a statistically significant difference between the intervention and placebo groups, and intervention and control groups in terms of the scores of wound healing on the tenth day after surgery (p<0.05 in both cases). Conclusion: Olive cream can be effective in relieving pain and enhancing caesarean section wound healing, and since no specific side effects were reported, the use of olive cream is recommended.