The effect of damask rose aromatherapy on anxiety and pain in endoscopic lithotripsy patients: A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Aromatherapy is a modality within the realm of alternative medicine to manage pain and alleviate anxiety in high-stress circumstances. The primary objective of this study was to examine the impact of damask rose on the levels of anxiety and pain experienced by patients under endoscopic lithotripsy. Methods: The present double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted at hospitals in Shiraz, Iran, in ۲۰۲۲, involving ۱۲۰ patients undergoing endoscopic lithotripsy. These patients were randomly allocated into control and intervention groups using a permuted block design. The data collection was done using the Spielberger and the Visual Analog Scale questionnaires at three stages: the baseline period, the pre-operative holding area, and six hours following the surgical procedure. The intervention group was exposed to a cotton swab infused with three drops of damask rose for a duration of ۳۰ minutes. The data analysis included descriptive statistics, repeated measure analysis of variance, and pairwise comparisons utilizing the Bonferroni post hoc test. Results: The mean levels of overt anxiety in the intervention group during the first and second phases of the intervention were ۴۶.۱۷±۷.۱۸ (P<۰.۰۰۱) and ۴۶.۳۲±۳.۲۴ (P=۰.۰۲۱). Furthermore, the mean covert anxiety levels in the intervention group throughout the first and second phases were found to be ۴۵.۱۰±۷.۸۳ (P=۰.۰۰۳) and ۴۵.۸۷±۳.۵۹ (P<۰.۰۰۱). The intervention group exhibited a mean pain level of ۵.۷±۱.۰۱ during the initial phase and ۲.۵۳±۰.۸۱ throughout the second phase (P<۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that rose aromatherapy reduced both overt and covert anxiety levels, as well as the pain experienced by patients both pre- and post-endoscopic lithotripsy.

Keywords:

Anxiety , Pain , Aromatherapy , Lithotripsy , Endoscopy