A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Medicated Sitz bath on Episiotomy Healing of Postnatal Mothers
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Abstract
Background: Episiotomy pain and delayed wound healing can interfere with the daily activities and comfort of postnatal mothers. Effective, low-cost nursing interventions are needed to promote healing and prevent complications.
Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a medicated sitz bath on episiotomy wound healing among postnatal mothers.
To determine the association between pre-test episiotomy healing scores and selected demographic variables.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design was adopted. The study was conducted among 60 postnatal mothers who had normal vaginal delivery with episiotomy at a selected hospital in Kollam. Purposive sampling was used to assign 30 mothers to the experimental group and 30 to the control group. Episiotomy wound healing was assessed using the REEDA scale. The experimental group received medicated sitz bath twice daily for three days, while the control group received routine perineal care. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Mann–Whitney U test.
Results: The pre-test mean REEDA score in the experimental group was 1.53 (SD = 1.57), which reduced to 0.27 (SD = 0.58) in the post-test, indicating significant improvement in wound healing. The Mann–Whitney U test showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups (Z = 6.18, p < 0.01).
Conclusion: Medicated sitz bath was found to be an effective, simple, and economical intervention for promoting episiotomy wound healing among postnatal mothers. It can be safely incorporated into routine postnatal care to enhance recovery and prevent complications.
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