Maternal and neonatal outcomes of the frequency of vaginal examinations in labor

This study was conducted as a descriptive type to determine the maternal and neonatal outcomes of the frequency of vaginal examinations which performed in obstetrics and gynecology clinics of three different hospitals in the center of Trabzon city. 328 women who had a vaginal delivery were included in the study. The data were collected through "Descriptive Information Form" and "Women's Vaginal Examination Experience Scale". In the statistical analysis of the data, percentage, mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum values, t test in independent groups, Mann-Whitney U test, One Way Anova Analysis, Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis, Chi-Square and Binary regression analyzes were used. The mean age of the women participating in the study is 28.50±5.256 years. The average score of the women on the vaginal examination experience scale in labor is 74.18±10.078 points. It was revealed that the length of stay of women in labor was 449.27±459.752 minutes, most of them applied to the maternity ward in the active phase, vaginal examination was performed 1-4 times and by 2-3 different health care personnel. It was determined that vaginal examination was performed more frequently in women who were younger, primiparas, those who applied to the maternity hospital in the latent phase, and those with longer labor (p<0.05). It was found out that education levels, working status, family types, the place which has been lived longest and BMI were not related to the frequency of vaginal examinations (p<0.05). It was determined that most of the women had no episiotomy, perineal damage, soft birth canal edema and did not develop postpartum GUS infection, and most of the babies did not have meconium aspiration or neonatal infection. It was determined that the women with normal BMI values compared to those with abnormal BMI values were more likely to have GUS infection symptoms than those without normal and primiparous ones, and the risk of neonatal infection was higher as the number of staff performing vaginal examinations increased (p>0.05). As a result, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the variables such as the frequency of vaginal examinations and being primipara, the length of stay in labor and the number of staff performing vaginal examinations. There was no significant relationship between the frequency of vaginal examinations and other maternal/ neonatal variables. In addition, women's vaginal examination experience was found to be positive.