The Effect of Aromatherapy Application on the Vital Signs of Intensive Care Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the effect of aromatherapy application on vital signs in intensive care patients.

Material-Method: This study was carried out as a nonrandomized controlled experimental trial. The population consisted of inpatients in the internal medicine intensive care unit of a research and training hospital located in southeastern Turkey. The sample of the study consisted of 100 patients. The data were collected between July 2018 and February 2019 using patient identification and monitoring forms. Descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-squared test, analysis of variance and post-hoc test were used in the analysis of the data.

Results: The mean age of the experimental group patients was 66.84±20.53, 54.0% of them were female, 92.0% were married, 28.0% were literate, 78.0% were unemployed, and 74.0% had not been subjected to aromatherapy before; The mean age of the control group patients was 61.30±22.67, 52.0% of them were female, 82.0% were married, 30.0% were highschool graduates, 66.0% were unemployed, and 64.0% had not been subjected to aromatherapy before. It was found that the mean respiratory rate of the patients in the experimental group decreased significantly (p<0.05).

Conclusion: It was determined that aromatherapy applied on the intensive care patients was not effective on their pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure or partial oxygen pressure, but it was effective in reducing their respiratory rate.

Keywords

• Intensive care
• Patient
• Aromatherapy
• Nursing
• Vital signs

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