Comparing the effects of rosemary aromatherapy and music therapy on anxiety levels in patients undergoing general surgery: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative anxiety is a prevalent concern among patients undergoing surgery, potentially elevating the risk of postoperative complications. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of inhalation aromatherapy using rosemary essential oil and music therapy in reducing anxiety levels among general surgery patients. METHODS: This study employed a randomized controlled clinical trial design involving 236 patients scheduled for general surgery. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: aromatherapy with Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil (n = 59), music therapy (n = 59), combined aromatherapy and music therapy (n = 59), and a control group (n = 59). Data collection instruments consisted of the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory, a personal information form, a music player, and wireless headphones. In the aromatherapy group, patients were instructed to inhale three drops of 25% rosemary essential oil. The music therapy group listened to instrumental music through headphones, while the combined group received both inhalation aromatherapy with rosemary essential oil and music therapy. The control group received three drops of an aromatic placebo. The interventions were administered for a duration of 30 min, starting one hour before surgery. Inferential statistics, including the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, chi-square test, paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and LSD post-hoc test, were employed for data analysis. RESULTS: The study findings demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing anxiety among surgical patients for aromatherapy (P = 0.001), music therapy (P < 0.001), and combined aromatherapy and music therapy (P = 0.001). Aromatherapy showed the highest anxiety-reducing effect, whereas combined therapy exhibited the lowest effect. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that inhalation aromatherapy, music therapy, and combined aromatherapy and music therapy are all effective approaches for anxiety reduction in surgical patients. Hence, the implementation of these cost-effective and non-invasive interventions is recommended to alleviate anxiety among surgical patients.

The Effect of Inhalation Aromatherapy and Music Therapy on Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Shockwave Lithotripsy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Patients undergoing shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) have a high level of anxiety. This study was aimed to compare the effect of music therapy and aromatherapy on patients' anxiety levels during SWL. In this clinical trial, 176 patients undergoing SWL were randomly assigned to four groups: music therapy, aromatherapy, combined music therapy and aromatherapy, and control. The state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was used to collect data. In the aromatherapy group, three drops of rosemary essential oil were used during SWL. For the music therapy group, soft music was played during SWL. In the music therapy and aromatherapy group, soft music and three drops of rosemary essential oil were used simultaneously. In the control group, three drops of aromatic distilled water were used. The results showed that all patients had moderate anxiety before the intervention. The analysis of variance test did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups, but this difference was significant after the intervention. The levels of anxiety after the intervention were higher in the music therapy, aromatherapy, and combined music therapy and aromatherapy groups than in the control group. The results of the paired t-test showed the level of anxiety after the intervention was significantly increased in the intervention group (P < 001). In conclusion, the results indicated that music therapy, aromatherapy, and combined music therapy and aromatherapy had no effect on reducing patients' anxiety during SWL.