Effect of Green Tea Ointment on Perineal Pain and Wound Healing after Episiotomy: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Abstract Introduction Perineal pain after an episiotomy is common and distressing and affects quality of life of women having just given birth. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of green tea ointment on pain and wound healing of episiotomy. Methods This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2019 on 130 parturient mothers in Hamadan, Iran. Mothers were assigned into two groups using blocked randomization. Data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire, Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, and Approximation (REEDA) to measure episiotomy wound healing, and a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure episiotomy pain score. REEDA and VAS were completed 6 h after episiotomy surgery. Green tea ointment was administered to the patients of the intervention group twice a day for 10 days while the control group received placebo. On days 5 and 10 following the intervention, REEDA and VAS were completed. The data were analyzed using Stata-13 software and the significance level was considered 0.05. Results Comparison of the wound healing scores between the two groups on days 5 and 10 indicated no statistically significant differences. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of episiotomy pain score on days 5 and 10 and Cohen's d revealed the effect of the intervention on episiotomy pain (0.64 and 0.68, respectively, p-value=0.001). Conclusion The results of the study showed that green tea ointment appeared to improve episiotomy pain but did not cause a significant change in wound healing.