Wound Care: Multicenter Feasibility Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine a sound recruitment strategy for multisite wound studies to address the rising prevalence and incidence of chronic wounds and to identify appropriate adult patient populations with wounds of interest and establish partnerships with their clinicians and clinical services as a model for a multisite wound care feasibility study. DESIGN: A pilot multisite recruitment feasibility study. SETTING: Three wound clinics located in a large, Midwestern metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: A convenience sample of 3 staff and 3 patients with lower-extremity wounds from each clinic was interviewed. Medical records of all patients with lower-extremity wounds seen during 1 week at each clinic were reviewed. Outcome measures included characteristics of patients being treated at the 3 wound care clinics (patient demographics and wound characteristics) and wound treatments used. Barriers and opportunities that could be addressed in recruitment and other research strategies were identified. MAIN RESULTS: Barriers and facilitators for future research were identified and varied within and between clinics. Patients reported they were willing to participate in future research, although fewer were willing if the study was blinded. Patients received a variety of treatments within and across clinics. Medical record reviews provided further information about wound clinic patients, wound characteristics, and barriers and facilitators for future study. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of wound clinic patients and their wounds were found to vary by site, suggesting tailored recruitment methods by site within multisite wound care studies may be most productive. This study suggests successful recruitment strategies for future wound care intervention research.

Well-Being and Self-Assessment of Change: Secondary Analysis of an RCT That Demonstrated Benefit of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene in College Students with Sleep Problems.

CONTEXT: Sleep issues are prevalent and affect health and well-being. The aspects of well-being that are impacted by sleep interventions have not been well studied. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of lavender and sleep hygiene (LSH) compared to sleep hygiene (SH) alone on well-being as measured by the Self-assessment of Change questionnaire (SAC) at post-intervention and two-week follow-up, and secondarily to compare the SAC sleep item to results from standardized sleep surveys. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where one group received a lavender inhalation patch and practiced sleep hygiene (LSH) and the other group received a placebo inhalation patch and practiced sleep hygiene (SH) for five consecutive nights. SETTING: Usual sleep setting. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-nine college students with self-reported sleep issues. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The SAC was completed at post-intervention and follow-up. RESULTS: Exploratory analysis showed significantly improved well-being for the LSH group at post-intervention for well-being domains of sleep, energy, and vibrancy (P = .01, .03, and .05, respectively) and an overall trend of improved well-being in comparison to the SH group at post-intervention and follow-up. The SAC sleep item showed a similar pattern of change to the standardized sleep surveys with a statistically significant improvement in sleep for the LSH group at follow-up (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the positive impact of the lavender intervention on three domains of self-assessed well-being are energy, vibrancy, and sleep. SAC results extend and complement prior findings of improved sleep quality.

Effect of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene on Self-Reported Sleep Issues: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and sleep hygiene versus sleep hygiene alone on sleep quantity and sleep quality and to determine sustained effect at two-week follow-up. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial with investigator blinding and steps taken to blind the participants. SETTING: Participants' usual sleep setting. SUBJECTS: Seventy-nine college students with self-reported sleep issues. INTERVENTIONS: The intervention took place over five nights with baseline, postintervention, and two-week follow-up assessments. Both groups practiced good sleep hygiene and wore an inhalation patch on their chest at night. One group wore a patch with 55 µl of lavender essential oil and the other group wore a blank patch. OUTCOME MEASURES: Sleep quantity was measured using a Fitbit(®) tracker and a sleep diary, and sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) sleep disturbance short form. RESULTS: The lavender and sleep hygiene group demonstrated better sleep quality at postintervention and two-week follow-up (PSQI p=0 .01, <0.001 and PROMIS p=0.04, 0.007, respectively). The sleep-hygiene-only group also demonstrated better sleep quality but to a lesser extent (PSQI p=0.02, 0.06 and PROMIS p=0.03, 0.03, respectively). Additionally, a clinical effect was found for the lavender group at postintervention, along with a significant finding for waking feeling refreshed (p=0.01). Sleep quantity did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lavender and sleep hygiene together, and sleep hygiene alone to a lesser degree, improved sleep quality for college students with self-reported sleep issues, with an effect remaining at follow-up.

A systematic review of the effect of inhaled essential oils on sleep.

OBJECTIVE: Sleep disturbances are recognized as an important health and public health problem that affects physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Inhalation of essential oils may be a safe alternative to pharmaceutical interventions for mild to moderate sleep disturbances. Quantitative human studies on the effect of inhaled essential oils on sleep that were published between 1990 to 2012 were reviewed. METHODS: Ovid Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Science Direct, and PubMed databases were searched to extract articles that evaluated the effect of inhaled essential oils on sleep in humans. RESULTS: The search yielded 15 quantitative studies, including 11 randomized controlled trials that examined hypnotic effects of inhalation of essential oils. A majority of the study findings suggested a positive effect of essential oils on sleep. Lavender was the most frequently studied essential oil. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Inhalation of essential oils may be considered for people with mild sleep disturbances. Further studies with larger samples and stronger methods and endpoints are needed to build on the findings.