The Effect of a Postabortion Self-Care Package on Women Undergoing Abortion

Garima Sharma, Venkadalakshmi V, Sarita Rawat, Amanjot Kaur

Abstract

Background: Care during the postabortion period is crucial for physical, emotional, and psychological recovery of women. Lack of standardized self-care increases the risk of complications. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches, such as rest, hygiene, pain management, diet, and medication adherence, can reduce adverse outcomes.

Aim: This study evaluated the impact of a postabortion self-care package on selected outcomes among women receiving care at PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 70 postabortion women in the obstetrics unit at PGIMER (2023–2025). Participants were randomly assigned to the control (n = 35) and experimental (n = 35) groups. A structured self-care package was developed and implemented on the experimental group. Outcomes assessed included pain (Numerical Pain Rating Scale), hemoglobin (complete blood count), bleeding (number of pads/d), and medication adherence (Medication Adherence Rating Scale).

Results: The experimental group showed a significant improvement, with a greater number of participants reporting no pain (42.8% to 71.4%), and reduced bleeding (0% from 60%). Normal hemoglobin levels increased (62% to 74%), the risk of infection decreased (10% to 1%), and medication adherence improved (mean ± SD: 5.3 ± 1.6 to 8.2 ± 0.7).

Conclusion: The self-care package effectively reduced pain and bleeding, and improved medication adherence, but did not significantly improve hemoglobin levels.