Effect of Rosa damascena Oil Aromatherapy on Fatigue Severity in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objectives: The prevalence of fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis is high. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Rosa damascena oil on fatigue severity in patients receiving hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 74 patients receiving hemodialysis in Tabriz, Iran from January 21 to February 21, 2019. The patients were conveniently recruited and assigned into two groups of intervention and control using a block randomization method with block sizes of four and six and a sequence of 1:1. Patients in the intervention group were trained to inhale three drops of R. damascena oil each night for one month. We used the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) for data collection and analyzed the data using the independent samples and paired t tests. Results: No significant difference was found between the two groups respecting the mean baseline fatigue scores (P=0.12). However, at the end of the study, the mean fatigue score was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=0.001). Conclusions: We witnessed that R. damascena oil aromatherapy significantly reduced the severity of fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis. This useful and inexpensive technique can be utilized as a complementary method to relieve fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Reflexology in oncological treatment – a systematic review

“…Taking a closer look at the effects on fatigue, six out of nine studies showed significant results in favor of reflexology [ 5 , 16 , 18 , 28 – 30 ]. Three of them show some methodical problems [ 16 , 29 , 30 ], such as lack of information on baseline comparisons [ 16 ], risk for placebo effect [ 30 ] and no control for multiple testing [ 29 ].…”

“…With fatigue being a very common side effect in cancer patients, nine studies investigated whether reflexology could be a useful tool in alleviating these symptoms. In four of the studies investigating the effects on fatigue reflexology was delivered by certified reflexologists [ 5 , 9 , 13 , 28 , 29 ] in three by caregivers [ 15 , 16 , 25 ] and in two it either isn’t clear who performed the intervention [ 30 ] or if the researcher applying it had any qualifications for doing so [ 18 ].…”

“…Four studies used an active control group [ 9 , 13 , 15 , 18 , 25 ] while the other five used a passive one [ 5 , 16 , 28 – 30 ].…”

“…Nourmohammadi et al [ 30 ] included 60 patients and obtained significant results in favor of reflexology between groups two months after the end of the four week intervention period ( p = 0.000), showing possible long-term effects of the intervention. Conducting a pre-to-post comparison, Hesami et al [ 28 ] included 80 subjects and, also using the Fatigue Severity Scale, found a significant difference between groups ( p = 0.016) with less fatigue in the reflexology group. In the study by Dikmen et al [ 18 ], the authors reported significant differences between groups at the 3 rd , 8 th and 12 th (follow up) week for both fatigue severity (3rd: p = 0.001; 8 th : p = 0.001; 12 th : p = 0.039) and effects of fatigue on daily life (all p -values = 0.001) with the lowest scores being reported in week eight for reflexology plus progressive muscle relaxation.…”

“…Three of the four studies in which a certified reflexologist applied the intervention showed significant results in favor of the intervention [ 5 , 28 , 29 ], only one of the three in which a caregiver applied it [ 16 ] and both when no detailed information exist on this matter [ 18 , 30 ].…”