Comparison of effectiveness of Foley catheter versus vaginal misoprostol for cervical ripening in induction of labour in Gedeo zone public hospitals, Ethiopia, 2022. Quasi-experimental design

Abstract

Background

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two methods commonly used to induce labor in women with an unfavorable cervix, which is Misoprostol and trans-cervical Foley catheterization.

Method

A total of 120 pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria and were scheduled for induction were recruited for this study. Group 1 comprised 60 women who received the Foley catheter, and Group 2 comprised 60 women who received Misoprostol. The data analysis was done using SPSS version 25, and the student’s independent t-test and chi-square analysis were used to compare the means and proportions of continuous and categorical variables, respectively. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results

The results showed that 41 (68.3 %) participants in the Foley catheter group and 49 (81.7 %) participants in the Misoprostol group had a favorable cervix within 24 h. The mean time interval from the start of ripening to a favorable cervix was shorter in the Misoprostol group (10.27 + 2.506) than in the Foley catheter group (11.78 + 2.151). The successful outcome of the induction was 33 (80.5 %) in the Foley catheter group and 35 (71.4 %) in the Misoprostol group.

Conclusion and recommendation: misoprostol was a more effective method of cervical ripening than the Foley catheter, resulting in a higher rate of favorable cervix in a shorter time frame. Further research is recommended with different study designs and larger sample sizes.