Study of Lavender and Bergamot Aromatherapy Effects on Anxiety, Vital Signs, and Embarrassment Before Colonoscopy

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to explore how aromatherapy using lavender and bergamot essential oils affects anxiety, vital signs, and feelings of embarrassment in patients before undergoing colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is often associated with pain, discomfort, anxiety, fear of diagnosis, and embarrassment due to privacy concerns. The study seeks to fill a gap in current knowledge and help develop nursing interventions to reduce these negative feelings in patients facing colonoscopy. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups inhaling lavender essential oil, inhaling bergamot essential oil, or inhaling an odorless substance distilled water as a placebo. Each participant will inhale their assigned substance through cotton pads placed near their nose for 20 minutes before the colonoscopy procedure. This intervention takes place in a pre-procedure waiting area under supervision. During the study, researchers will measure anxiety levels using the State Anxiety Inventory immediately before and 30 minutes after the intervention. They will also assess feelings of embarrassment right after the colonoscopy using the Colonoscopy Embarrassment Scale. Vital signs will be monitored as part of the evaluation. The study starts in January 2025 and ends in November 2025, with participants involved primarily around the time of their colonoscopy.

Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Colonoscopy Patients