The effect of cold application on episiotomy pain: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Aims and Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of cold application methods in reducing postpartum episiotomy pain. Background Many women suffer from pain after giving birth due to an episiotomy. This prolonged pain affects their daily lives as they recover. Various methods can help alleviate this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical nursing 2022-03, Vol.31 (5-6), p.559-568
Main Authors: Şolt Kırca, Ayça, Korkut Öksüz, Sevda, Murat, Naci
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cold
cold application
Episiotomy
Episiotomy - adverse effects
episiotomy pain
Female
Humans
Meta-analysis
midwife
nursing
Pain
Pain Management
Pain, Postoperative
Parturition
Perineum
Postpartum period
Pregnancy
Systematic review
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Summary:Aims and Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of cold application methods in reducing postpartum episiotomy pain. Background Many women suffer from pain after giving birth due to an episiotomy. This prolonged pain affects their daily lives as they recover. Various methods can help alleviate this pain; however, the effects of cold application specifically are still under discussion. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis were used. Methods In this review, we investigated studies from the CINAHL, PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases that met PICOS inclusion criteria. We also assessed the studies' methodological quality with the JADAD and JBI checklists. This study was performed based on the Guidelines of Systematic Reporting of Examination presented in the PRISMA checklist (Appendix S1). The search protocol has been registered at the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Results A total of seven published studies including 700 total participants were included in this review. Various cold application methods (cold gel pack/pad, crushed ice gel pad, ice pack) significantly reduced the pain after an episiotomy. Ice packs in particular did not significantly differ from lavender oil and acupressure in reducing pain after an episiotomy. Conclusions Cold application methods can be an effective, non‐pharmacological midwifery and nursing intervention to reduce pain after an episiotomy. Relevance to clinical practice The use of cold application methods to reduce pain after episiotomy may reduce the need for pharmacological medication in women due to the reduction in pain in the perineum.
ISSN:0962-1067
1365-2702
DOI:10.1111/jocn.15912