The Effects of Aroma Hand Massage on Fatigue and Sleeping among Hospice Patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was the comparative effects on fatigue and sleep of aroma hand massage vs. hand massage among hospice patients in a hospital. Methods: The design of this study was a nonequivalent comparison group pretest-posttest design. This study was performed from May to December 2012 in a hospice ward. A total of 30 hospice patients in a hospice ward participated in the study (17 in an aroma massage group and 13 in a massage group). The Piper Fatigue Scale was used to measure the fatigue level. The quantity of sleep was measured using sleep hours and the quality of sleep using the Verran & Snyder-Halpern sleep scale (1987). The aroma massage group used 1:1 lavender and bergamot diluted to 1% with 100 ml jojoba carrier oil. The massage group used carrier oil without an essential oil. Each treatment was performed for 10 minutes prior to the subject’s sleeping time, once a day and for 5 days. Data were analyzed using t-test, x2-test, Fisher’s exact test and the repeated measures ANOVA with the SPSS program. Results: The increase in the fatigue and decrease in the sleep quantity were lower in the aroma hand massage compared to the only hand massage but they were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The quality of sleeping improved in the aroma hand massage group compared to the control group even though it was not significant. For the further studies, assessing and respecting the patient’s aroma preference were important considerations when providing aromatherapy and the appropriation of using 1% essential oil to dilute needs to be tested for the hospice patients in the further studies