The effects of aromatherapy massage given to patients after colorectal cancer surgery on symptom management: A randomized controlled study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether aromatherapy massage, including chamomile, could improve symptom management (pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, sleep quality, and anxiety) in postoperative colorectal cancer patients.
Results Summary
Aromatherapy massage with chamomile showed no significant effect on pain, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting compared to classical massage or control. Sleep quality improved only on the second postoperative day in massage groups, and anxiety levels were lower in both massage groups compared to control.
Population
Postoperative colorectal cancer patients (n=90, divided into three groups).
Effective Dosage
Not specified (blend included sweet almond oil, lavender, chamomile, and ginger oil).
Duration
First three postoperative days (20-minute massage sessions).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
aromatherapy massage | no change | pain | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | no significant effect | had no significant effect | #1 |
aromatherapy massage | no change | fatigue | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | no significant effect | had no significant effect | #2 |
aromatherapy massage | no change | nausea | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | no significant effect | had no significant effect | #3 |
aromatherapy massage | no change | vomiting | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | no significant effect | had no significant effect | #4 |
massage | increase | sleep quality | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | - | sleep quality was higher | #5 |
aromatherapy massage | decrease | anxiety levels | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | - | anxiety levels were lower | #6 |
classical massage | decrease | anxiety levels | patients after colorectal cancer surgery | - | anxiety levels were lower | #7 |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It was aimed to investigate the effects of massage with or without aromatherapy given to patients after colorectal cancer surgery on symptom management in the first three postoperative days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out with a pretest-posttest randomized controlled design. The study included the aromatherapy massage group (AG; n = 30), the classical massage group (MG; n = 30), and one control group (CG; n = 30). A blend of sweet almond oil, lavender, chamomile, and ginger oil was used in AG. Massage was applied to the foot area, and 20 min of classical massage was performed. Before the pretest, the participants were blinded by not informing them about their group allocations. The analyses were carried out using parametric methods. RESULTS: Postoperative pain varied significantly over time in all three groups (AG: p = 0.007; η CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy massage had no significant effect on pain, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting compared to MG and CG, and sleep quality was higher in the massage groups compared to CG only on the second postoperative day. On the first three postoperative days, the post-intervention anxiety levels of AG and MG were lower than those of CG. CLINICALTRIALS: GOV.ID: NCT04810299.