The Effect of Aromatherapy with Essential Oil of Damascena on the Anxiety of Nurses Working in the Emergency Department of the Selected Hospital of AJA University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Being frequently exposed to the multiple physical and psychological hazards, emergency staff become stressful in urgent circumstance. These tensions can affect the quality of their work and thus the productivity of the organization. The researchers deemed it necessary to study the anxiety roots and factors in emergency staff and use interventions to reduce them. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy with essential oil of Damascena on the anxiety of nurses working in the emergency ward of AJUMS hospitals. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 60 nurses from the emergency ward of AJA Hospital in 2017. The sampling method was convenient and samples were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The pre-test was done using demographic information form and Spielberg›s anxiety questionnaire. Then, the experimental group was tested with inhalation of essential oil of Damascena and the control group with placebo ( water). Ninety minutes after the intervention, the Spielberger questionnaire was completed again by participants. Subsequently, data was analyzed using SPSS  16. Results: The results of the study showed that the mean of anxiety was not significantly different in both groups (P=0.77), but after the intervention, the mean of anxiety was significantly different in the control group (P=0.008). Also, the results of paired t-test indicated that the comparison of anxiety score in the experimental group was significant before and after the intervention (P=0.016). Discussion and Conclusion: Considering the positive effects of Damascena as an intervention of anxiety in nurses, the use flower oil is recommended to reduce the anxiety of emergency nurses. Keywords: Anxiety, Aromatherapy, Nurses, Damascena, Emergency Service. IRCT Code: IRCT20160122026145N2