Effects of Peppermint Aromatherapy on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting.

PURPOSE: Standardized order sets for postoperative patients often include antiemetic medications only for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of PONV in patients receiving peppermint aromatherapy and usual care to patients receiving only usual care. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental research design used to evaluate the ability of peppermint aromatherapy to decrease PONV and antiemetic use postoperatively. METHODS: Intervention group received peppermint aromatherapy with a control group receiving standard of care. The nausea scale with descriptors was used to evaluate PONV. FINDINGS: Descriptive statistics and a χ2 test revealed no statistical significance (P = .28). However, peppermint aromatherapy was preferred by many patients as indicated by patients' statements and decreased ratings and complaints of nausea. CONCLUSIONS: The peppermint aromatherapy was favorably received by many of the postoperative patients and may be an effective adjunct treatment with antiemetics for PONV.

Association of preoperative sleep pattern with posthysterectomy pain: a pilot study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of preoperative sleep pattern with posthysterectomy pain perception and satisfaction with surgery. METHODS: This pilot study included women undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy for benign conditions. Sleep quality, insomnia severity, and insomnia risk were assessed pre- and postoperatively via standard questionnaires. Total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency were measured before and after hysterectomy using daily sleep diaries and wrist-worn actigraphy. Pain perception and satisfaction with hysterectomy were assessed postoperatively. Repeated-measures analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression were used for analysis. RESULTS: Twenty women participated; of them 16 had complete data and were analyzed. Total sleep time increased from 384 ± 102 minutes before to 468 ± 96 minutes after surgery (P = .023). Wake after sleep onset, a measure of sleep fragmentation, increased from 26 ± 15.1 minutes before to 52 ± 22.9 minutes after surgery (P = .014). Pearson's correlation showed preoperative total sleep time was inversely correlated with postoperative pain intensity (r = -.92, P = .01). Preoperative wake after sleep onset was positively correlated with postoperative pain intensity (r = .86, P = .008). Preoperative insomnia severity and insomnia risk were positively associated with postoperative pain and pain behaviors (ß = 0.41, P < .05; ß = 0.55, P < .01, respectively). Finally, preoperative sleep efficiency was positively associated with overall satisfaction with hysterectomy (ß = 0.39, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep duration and fragmentation increase following hysterectomy. Shorter, more fragmented preoperative sleep is associated with greater postoperative pain intensity. Better preoperative sleep was associated with more satisfaction after hysterectomy. Further studies are needed to determine if preoperative sleep interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy improve pain perception and satisfaction after hysterectomy.

The Effects of Interprofessional Pediatric End-of-Life Simulation on Communication and Role Understanding in Health Professions Students.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of interprofessional pediatric end-of life simulations for health professions students. A quasiexperimental design was used with three TeamSTEPPS® tools. Forty-one students were enrolled (nursing = 20, medicine = 10, pharmacy = 10, public health = 1). TeamSTEPPS 2.0 Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire and Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire analysis indicated a significant difference in mean pretest and posttest scores (p = .015 and p = .028, respectively). The Team Performance Observation Tool indicated statistical significance between simulations (p < .001, df = 18, r = .8). Simulations were significantly related to an increase in faculty observation scores, TeamSTEPPS 2.0 Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire pre-post scores, and TeamSTEPPS 2.0 Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire pre-post scores.