The Effect of Lavender Inhalation on Anxiety and Pain in Patients Undergoing Surgery: A Systematic Review Study

Introduction: Anxiety is one of the most common psychological reactions in patients waiting for surgery, and they usually experience a certain level of anxiety. Aromatherapy is a complementary treatment in which inhaling the scent can shift the autonomic balance towards parasympathetic superiority and calm the person. This review study aimed to evaluate the results of clinical trials on the effect of Lavender inhalation on anxiety and pain in patients undergoing surgery. Method: This systematic review examined articles published between March 2012 and June 2021. Internal databases, including SID and Magiran, also used external scientific resource databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Medlib, Science Direct, and Google scholar search engine to collect articles and to search for the keywords Lavender, Surgery, Anxiety, pain, and Aromatherapy in Persian and English sources were used. After evaluating the inclusion criteria and quality of articles, 21 studies were recognized as eligible and included in the present study. Results: The results of previous studies show that Lavender is very effective in reducing pain and anxiety in patients undergoing various surgeries and can be effective in reducing the usage of pre-and postoperative analgesics and their complications. Conclusion: According to the studies, inhaling Lavender essential oil can reduce the anxiety and pain of patients undergoing surgery.