The Effect of Cold Application After Episiotomy on Wound Healing, Pain, and Postpartum Comfort: Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of cold application performed using a cold gel pad on wound healing, pain, and postpartum comfort in women who underwent episiotomy.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with a quasi-experimental design involving 102 women who underwent episiotomy during vaginal delivery (51 experimental, 51 control). A cold gel pad was applied to the experimental group, while the control group received routine postpartum care. Changes in REEDA Scale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores were measured at 0, 1, and 2 hours, and the PCQ was assessed at the 2-hour time point. REEDA and VAS scores were analyzed using Two-Way Mixed Analysis of Variance (Mixed ANOVA), while PCQ scores were analyzed using Student’s t-test.Results: Significant group time interactions were found for REEDA (F=16.985, p