The Effects of Inhalation Aromatherapy on Postoperative Abdominal Pain: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: This study compares the effects of inhalation aromatherapy using essential oils of sweet orange and damask rose on postoperative abdominal pain. DESIGN: A randomized three-arm controlled trial. METHODS: In this randomized double-blinded, and parallel-group controlled trial, a total of 120 patients who underwent open abdominal surgeries were enrolled using a sequential sampling method. Participants were then randomly assigned to three groups of sweet orange, damask rose, and placebo (distilled water) using the permuted block randomization. When the patients regained full consciousness, a clean gauze impregnated with four drops of either distilled water or essential oils of sweet orange or damask rose were attached to the collar of the patients, and they were asked to inhale the aroma through normal breathing for 30 minutes. Abdominal pain severity was recorded using the visual analog scale at four time points including before the intervention (baseline) and 4, 8, and 12 hours after the intervention. FINDINGS: Pain reduction after sweet orange inhalation was significantly greater than placebo (at 8 and 12 hours after the intervention) and damask rose (at 12 hours after the intervention). The differences in the mean score of pain severity between all before-and-after observations were statistically significant in the three groups, except in the placebo group between the baseline score of pain severity and the pain severity score at 4 hours after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Inhalation aromatherapy using sweet orange seems to be more effective than the damask rose in reducing pain severity after open abdominal surgeries.

Effects of Extremity Massage on Preoperative Anxiety: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial on Phacoemulsification Candidates.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to compare the effects of foot and hand massage on preoperative anxiety. DESIGN: Three-arm randomized, nonblinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial. METHODS: This study was conducted on 90 female candidates waiting for phacoemulsification cataract surgery in Arak Amirkabir Hospital, Iran. Patients were consecutively selected and randomly divided into three groups of hand (n = 30), foot (n = 30), and placebo (n = 30), using a random number generator software program. In each group, massage was performed 5 minutes for each hand or foot in the surgical waiting room about 10 minutes before surgery. Anxiety was measured before and after the intervention by visual analog scale and also assessing physiological indicators (heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures). FINDINGS: All the 90 patients completed the study and were included in the final analysis. Both hand and foot massage resulted in a significant decrease compared with placebo massage in anxiety and heart rate. However, no significant difference was found between hand and foot massage in any of the measured parameters. In the foot group and hand group, a significant reduction was observed in heart rate and anxiety after the intervention, whereas the anxiety increased significantly in the placebo group after the intervention. Moreover, systolic blood pressure in the foot group and the respiratory rate in the hand group significantly decreased after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Application of hand or foot massage seems to be effective in managing anxiety in patients waiting for phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Correction to: Effects of relaxation on self-esteem of patients with cancer: a randomized clinical trial.

Cancellation of Open Access.

Effects of relaxation on self-esteem of patients with cancer: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cancer is usually associated with decreased self-esteem. Relaxation is one of the most effective methods to promote self-esteem of patients with chronic diseases. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of relaxation on self-esteem of patients with cancer. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 patients with cancer. The samples were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, the patients implemented relaxation techniques once a day for 30 min during 60 consecutive days in addition to receiving routine care, while patients in the control group received only routine care. Before and after the intervention, the Persian version of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) was completed. RESULTS: After the interventions, significant differences were observed between groups in favor of the relaxation group in total score of CSEI and all its subscales (P = 0.0001). In the experimental group, a significant increase in total score and all subscales of CSEI was observed after the intervention (P = 0.001), whereas in the control group, a significant decrease was found in all dimensions (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The relaxation seems to be potentially effective in promoting self-esteem of patients with cancer. Further studies, particularly randomized clinical trials with higher sample size and more power, are needed to confirm the obtained findings.

The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on cancer patients' self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Self-efficacy is considered as one of the influential parameters affecting the health of patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of relaxation techniques on self-efficacy of patients suffering from cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a clinical trial in which 80 patients suffering from cancer were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. Data collection instruments consisted of demographic information and Strategies Used by People to Promote Health questionnaires. In the experimental group, the patients performed relaxation techniques once a day for 30 min over two months. In the control group, the patients received the routine care. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed between the mean self-efficacy indices in the experimental group (p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the control group (p = 0.3). CONCLUSION: Muscle relaxation can enhance self-efficacy of cancer patients. Therefore, it can be used as an alternative method for patients who are willing to use this technique.