Healing after episiotomy has reported as the common cause of maternal comfort in postnatal period. Studies have shown that lavender oil is effective in episiotomy wound healing.
To assess the effectiveness of lavender oil on healing of episiotomy wound in order to improve nursing care practices and to provide maximum comfort to postpartum women.
The research design was quasi experimental and was conducted in obstetrics department of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital and civil hospital Faridkot on 60 subjects (30 for experimental and 30 for control group) of Faridkot, Punjab. Intervention in experimental group was application of lavender oil and in control group was administration of hospital routine care (betadine). The socio-demographic sheet which was structured interview schedule was filled by investigator. Healing of episiotomy was assessed by using REEDA scale at 24 hrs, day 3 and day 5, for both groups.
The results of the study revealed that most of study subjects experienced episiotomy wound healing. Lavender oil helps in episiotomy wound healing in experimental group from day 1 to day 5. Lavender oil was more effective in episiotomy wound healing from day 1 to day 3 in experimental group as compared to hospital routine care in control group but at day 5 both lavender oil and hospital routine care were statistically equally effective. No association of episiotomy wound healing with age, parity, education, duration of 2nd stage of labor was found in the study.
Hence it can be concluded that Lavender oil is as effective as hospital routine care in healing of episiotomy wound.
Lavender oil, Episiotomy wound healing, Hospital routine care
