Comparison of the Effects of Aromatherapy With Damask Rose and Chamomile Essential Oil on Preoperative Pain and Anxiety in Emergency Orthopedic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: Patients who are awaiting emergency surgery experience high levels of anxiety and pain. This study aimed to compare the effects of aromatherapy with damask rose and chamomile essential oil on the preoperative pain and anxiety associated with emergency orthopedic surgery. DESIGN: A parallel-group randomized controlled design was used. METHODS: Ninety participants were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: the damask rose group (n = 30), the chamomile group (n = 30), and the control group (n = 30). In the damask rose and chamomile groups, three drops of 40% essential of each plant were used for inhalation aromatherapy (three drops every hour for 3 hours) Visual Analog Scales were used to evaluate participants' pain and anxiety levels at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 1 hour after the intervention. FINDINGS: The results of repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed that both of the intervention groups experienced a decrease in pain and anxiety over time compared to the control group (P < .001). ANOVA results showed that immediately after the intervention, the anxiety level of the damask rose group compared to the chamomile and control groups was significantly lower (P = .01). However, there was no significant difference in terms of anxiety between the damask rose and chamomile groups 1 hour after the intervention (P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: The use of damask rose and chamomile in aromatherapy was found to effectively lower anxiety and pain levels in emergency orthopedic surgery patients. The antianxiety effect of damask rose is faster than chamomile.

Effect of Chamomile on the Complications of Cancer: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, many people across the world still suffer from this chronic disease and its complications. Chamomile as an herbal medicine has gained an increasing attention for relieving cancer complications. This study aimed to integrate and synthesize current international evidence regarding the effect of chamomile on cancer complications. METHODS: A systematic review was undertaken. Five online databases including Web of Science, PubMed [including MEDLINE], Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Embase were searched and articles published from inception to January 2023 were retrieved. All clinical trials and similar interventional studies on human subjects examining the effects of chamomile on cancer complications were included in the review and research synthesis. Relevant data were extracted from eligible studies after quality appraisals using proper methodological tools. The review results were presented narratively given that meta-analysis was impossible. RESULTS: A total of 2240 studies were retrieved during the search process, but 18 articles were selected. The total sample size was 1099 patients with cancer of which 622 participants were female. Fifteen studies used an RCT design. Various forms of chamomile were used such as mouthwash, topical material, tea, capsule, syrup and aromatherapy massage. Chamomile effectively reduced oral mucositis, skin complications, depression, and vomiting and also improved appetite and quality of life among cancer patients. CONCLUSION: The use of chamomile as a non-pharmacologic and safe method can be helpful for mitigating cancer complications in patients with cancer. Therefore, it can be incorporated into routine care along with other therapeutic measures to reduce patients' suffering related to cancer. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER (PROSPERO): CRD42022307887.

Experiences of intensive care unit nurses working with COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

Objectives: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses are at the forefront of fighting and treating the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and are often directly exposed to this virus and at risk of disease, due to their direct care for infected patients. This study aims to synthesize the experiences of ICU nurses working with COVID-19 patients. Methods: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies were undertaken. A systematic literature search in four databases, including Web of Sciences, Scopus, Embase, and PubMed (including Medline), was performed. Original qualitative studies and the qualitative section of mixed method studies, written in English, which focused on the experiences of only ICU nurses working with COVID-19 patients, were included. Results: Seventeen qualitative studies and two mixed-method studies were included in the review. As a result of the inductive content analysis, six main categories were identified, as follows: "distance from holistic nursing," "psychosocial experiences," "efforts for self-protection and wellbeing," "organizational inefficiency," "job burnout," and "emerging new experiences in the workplace." Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that healthcare authorities and policymakers can facilitate the provision of high-quality patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic through appropriate planning to provide adequate support and training, prevent shortages of nursing staff and equipment, and provide adequate attention to the psychological needs and job satisfaction of ICU nurses. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=256070, identifier: CRD42021256070.

A systematic review of the effect of lavender on cancer complications.

OBJECTIVE: Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, patients still suffer from the various physical and psychological complications of cancer. The aim of this research was to integrate and synthesize relevant scientific evidence about the effect of lavender on cancer complications. METHODS: A systematic review of the international literature was undertaken. The search process encompassed four databases of PubMed [including MEDLINE], Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane library without time and language limits. All types of interventional studies examining the effects of lavender on cancer complications were included in data analysis and research synthesis. Relevant data were obtained from eligible studies after quality appraisal using appropriate methodological tools. Given that meta-analysis could not performed, the review findings were synthesized narratively. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included in this review with a total of 838 patients. Nine studies used a randomized controlled trial design and the majority of them were conducted on patients with multiple types of cancer. Lavender was often used as inhalation aromatherapy. In the majority of the included studies, lavender was significantly effective in the reduction of anxiety and pain, and improved sleep quality and vital signs. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of lavender in mitigating cancer complications. Healthcare providers are suggested to use lavender in patient care along with other healthcare interventions to relieve cancer complications.

The effects of Lavender and Chamomile essential oil inhalation aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and stress in older community-dwelling people: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Considering the prevalence of mental health problems in older adults, this study aims to investigate the effect of inhalation aromatherapy using lavender and chamomile essential oils on depression, anxiety, and stress of community-dwelling older people. METHODS: A three-armed, parallel, randomized, and controlled trial design was used in this study. 183 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to three groups (n = 61): the lavender, chamomile, and control groups. The participants in the experimental groups inhaled three drops of 1.5% lavender and chamomile essential oils for 30 nights. The participants in the control group inhaled only distilled water in a similar fashion. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-Scale (DASS) at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and one month after the intervention. Chi-square, Fisher's exact, one-way ANOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvement occurred in depression, anxiety, and stress levels immediately and one month after the intervention in lavender and chamomile groups compared to the control group (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Inhalation aromatherapy with both lavender and chamomile essential oils helped decrease depression, anxiety, and stress levels in community-dwelling older adults.

Effects of Benson Relaxation Technique and Music Therapy on the Anxiety of Primiparous Women Prior to Cesarean Section: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background and Aims: Primiparous women experience high levels of anxiety before cesarean section. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the effects of the Benson Relaxation Technique (BRT) and Music Therapy (MT) on the anxiety of primiparous women prior to cesarean section. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out on 105 women scheduled for cesarean section. They were randomly assigned into three groups: BRT, MT, and control (n = 35 per group). The women in the BRT and MT groups performed exercises and listened to music, respectively, for 20 minutes prior to cesarean section. The State Anxiety Inventory was used to measure the women's anxiety in the groups before and after the intervention. Results: Within-group comparisons showed that the women in the BRT (t = 5.61, p < 0.001, effect size (Cohen's d) = 0.94) and MT (t = 3.83, p = 0.001, d = 0.64) groups had significantly lower anxiety after the interventions compared to before the interventions. Also, between-group comparisons revealed that anxiety after the intervention was significantly lower in the BRT and MT groups compared to the control group (p = 0.007). Conclusions: Although both of the BRT and MT helped with the reduction of anxiety among primiparous women before cesarean section, the BRT was shown more effective. These nonpharmacologic methods are safe and cost-effective and can improve well-being among women undergoing this invasive procedure. They can be used along with pharmacologic methods for reducing overreliance on medications.

Effect of Benson and progressive muscle relaxation techniques on sleep quality after coronary artery bypass graft: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Benson relaxation (BR) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) techniques on the sleep quality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHOD: This study was a three-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial. 120 patients who underwent CABG surgery at two academic hospitals in an urban area of Iran were randomly allocated into three groups (40 per group): the BR, PMR, and control groups. Patients in the BR and the PMR groups performed relevant exercises twice a day for four weeks. Sleep quality was measured before and immediately after the intervention using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RESULTS: Within-group comparison in the BR (t = 3.51, p = 0.001) and the PMR (t = 4.58, p < 0.001) group showed that the overall sleep quality showed a significant improvement after the intervention when compared to baseline. The between-group comparison showed that both the BR and PMR groups showed significant improvements in subjective sleep quality (F = 3.75, p = 0.02), habitual sleep efficiency (F = 4.81, p = 0.01), and overall sleep quality (F = 5.53, p = 005) when compared to the control group after the intervention. However, no statistically significant differences were identified among the three study groups in terms of sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction after the intervention (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study showed that a four-week program of both PMR and BR can be effective in the overall improvement of sleep quality in patients following CABG. Further research is required to replicate the findings of the present study.

The Effects of Inhalation Aromatherapy Using Lavender Essential Oil on Postoperative Pain of Inguinal Hernia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: One of the main problems after inguinal hernia surgery is postoperative pain. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aromatherapy with lavender oil inhalation on postoperative pain after inguinal hernia surgery. DESIGN: A randomized controlled design was used. METHODS: Ninety participants were selected and assigned to two groups: the intervention group (n = 45) and the control group (n = 45). The patients in the intervention group inhaled four drops of 2% lavender essential oil with oxygen for 20 minutes. The patients in the control group inhaled only oxygen. Postoperative pain was measured 0 minutes after being transferred to the surgery ward, and then 2 hours, 6 hours, and 24 hours after surgery using the visual analog scale. FINDINGS: In comparison to the control group, levels of pain severity in the intervention group were significantly lower in four stages of measurements (P < .001). Also, in all stages, measurements showed significant statistical differences within the groups (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Aromatherapy with lavender essential oil helped decrease postoperative pain after inguinal hernia surgery.