The effects of lavender oil and ice applications used in episiotomy care on episiotomy pain

Abstract

Aim: The present study investigates the effects of lavender oil and ice applications on episiotomy pain and wound healing. Materials and Methods: This study was organized as a semi-randomized controlled type of research. A total of 96 term pregnant women who gave birth in the delivery service of Nazilli State Hospital and underwent episiotomy at birth, had a Visual Analog Skala (VAS) value greater than 3 and agreed to participate in the study were included in the study. The patient information form, the Visual Analog Scale, and the REEDA Scale were used for data collection. The research data was analyzed using number, percentage, the chi-square test, the Kruskal Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, One-Way Anova test, Tukey HD test, and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. Results: The mean VAS values of the groups before the application were 7.90±0.92 for the lavender group, 8.29±1.03 for the ice group, and 8.00±1.00 for the control group. In addition, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the VAS values between the groups after the application (p<0.05), and the mean VAS values in the intervention groups decreased (Lavender group 6.84±1.08, ice group 5.70±1.53). While there was no statistically significant difference in the mean REEDA recovery scores between the groups before the application (p=0.912), there was a statistically significant difference in the REEDA recovery scores of the intervention groups and the control group after the application (p=0.000). Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, lavender oil and ice applications used after labor reduce perineal pain and accelerate wound healing.