the effect of current nursing care strategies on relieving episiotpmy pain and on improving its healing process

Summary :The research investigation reported in this study dealt principally with episiotomy as surgical procedure handled by doctors and midwives with assistance from nurses.Aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of the current nursing care strategies on minimizing the episiotomy pain and on improving its healing process.The sample of this study consisted of 150 primiparous women planned to have normal vaginal delivery, within the normal age limits (<20 years & >35 years), these women then are divided into two groups according to their ability to share in this study and tThe first group was the study group; the investigator gave them complete health education about the proper technique of perineal care and gave them demonstration about using each method for reliving the episiotomy pain and its effect on improving the healThe investigator met the study sample in the emergency ward in the maternity university hospital, and after dividing them into groups she scheduled with them the time for each visit.The results of this study are summarized as follows:Both the study group and the control group had almost the same sociodemographic data as regarding the educational level, working condition and housing ,water supply and waste disposal.There was no significant difference between both groups as regarding receiving antenatal care during pregnancy as 68% from the control group and 77.3% from the study group received antenatal care.There was no statistical significant difference regarding the place from which they receive their antenatal care, as most of them received their antenatal care from governmental MCH centers.As regarding the knowledge about the episiotomy and its proper care most of the study sample had no idea about this care with percentage of 68% in the control group and 73.3% in the study group.The intensity of pain immediately after labor varied from mild pain 6.7% in the control group and 4% in the study group to intolerable pain 26.7% in the control group and 13.4% in the study group. Statistically there is no significant difference.The first method used was the cold compressions that was used in the first 24 hours postpartum; the results revealed that the degree of pain ranged from 4% mild pain, 25.3% severe pain and 24% intolerable pain in the study group. 61.4% of the mothers mentThe second method was the hot compressions that was used in the second day postpartum, in which the degree of pain ranged from 1.3% mild pain, 40% severe pain and 9.3% intolerable pain in the study group, 5.3% only mentioned that it has no effect while 52The third method was the warm Sitz bath starting from the third day after delivery, the degree of pain ranged from 13.3% mild, and 22.7% severe to 6.6% intolerable pain. After using Sitz bath, as regarding the state of the wound 80% of the women of the stAs regarding the mothers opinion about the effect of Sitz bath 85.3% of them said that it eased walking and 70.3% of them said that it eased sitting.After one week postpartum the evaluation of the stitches in both control and study groups revealed that 12% in the control group while 60% from the study group showed disappearance of the stitches.As regarding appearance of warning signs and symptoms during the first 2 weeks post partum the results revealed that 28% of the control and 21.3% of the study group had one or more warning signs and symptoms.The evaluation of the healing process at the end of the second week post partum using REEDA tool for assessment the results 53.3% of the control group and 69.3% of the study group showed complete healing in the episiotomy. At the same time, 18.7% and 5.3%