Evidence-Based Practices in Episiotomy Care

Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the research associated with wound healing process in episiotomy care. Method: The search for this study was conducted through the international databases of Cochrane, Science Direct, Medline, Medine Complete, CIHANL, Scopus, AcademicSearch Complete, Complementary Index and ULAKBIM medical database among the National Databases between May 1 and July 17, 2017. "Episiotomy care" and "episiotomy wound healing" were used as key words during the search. A total of 23 publications compliant with the inclusion criteria were included in the study and were evaluated in terms of comparisons, restrictions, and results. Results: Studies about episiotomy care were evaluated under four headings such as the use of antiseptic solutions, use of dry/wet and hot and cold applications, laser and light therapy, and the use of aromatic oils and phytotherapy in episiotomy care. Among the 23 studies included in this study, 17 were designed as experimental and 6 as half-experimental and a total of 2.408 puerperal women participated in this study. Conclusion: The results of this literature review revealed a limited number of research findings on the care of episiotomy wounds and a necessity of performance of new studies on this subject was established.