The Effect of Aromatherapy Using Lavender Essential Oil on Anxiety in Candidate Patients of Upper Limb Reconstruction Surgery: A Non-Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Preoperational anxiety is a challenging issue in preoperative care of patients. However, lavender aromatherapy can be useful as a nursing intervention to reduce some symptoms of the anxiety. This study aimed to determine the effect of aromatherapy on the anxiety of patients undergoing surgical reconstruction of the upper limb. Methods: In this non-randomized clinical trial, a total of 100 candidates of upper limb reconstruction operation were investigated in 15 Khordad Hospital, Tehran, Iran in 2017. They were selected by convenience sampling method and assigned into two groups of 50 patients; intervention and control. The lavender aromatherapy was administered for 20 minutes for the intervention group, and for the control or placebo group, distilled water was used instead of lavender. Spielberger questionnaire was completed by the participants before the intervention and 20 minutes after the intervention. The Chi-square test, paired t test and Independent t test were used for data analysis using SPSS V. 16. Results: The mean (SD) values of state and trait anxiety in the intervention group were 56.88 (4.91) and 52.92 (5.79) respectively before the intervention; however, those value were 40.86 (4.03) and 46.66 (4.49) after the intervention. The results of paired t test showed a significant difference in the level of state and trait anxiety before and after the intervention (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Considering the positive effects of lavender essential oil, it is possible to use it as a nursing intervention to reduce the level of anxiety of patients prior to reconstruction of upper limb.