The effects of lavender oil on the anxiety and vital signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia patients in preoperative period

Background: This study was conducted to determine the effects of lavender oil on the levels of anxiety and vital signs in benign prostate hyperplasia patients (BPH) in their preoperative period. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study and a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population of the study consisted of elderly male patients who were hospitalized at the urology clinic of a hospital in Turkey, eligible for inclusion, and who were scheduled to undergo BPH surgery. These patients had a prostate mass >30g on which medical treatment and minimal surgical treatment had not been succesful but which could be cured through open prostatectomy surgery and transurethral resection of the prostate. The sample consisted of 110 patients selected by the convenience sampling method and determined based on power analysis. Results: According to data analysis, both groups showed significantly reduced anxiety after the smelling lavender oil. However, the experimental group reported a significantly higher decrease in anxiety [mean change: -38.47 (SD 8.68) vs -2.78 (SD 3.27)] in comparison to the control group (p < 0.001). The posttest mean vital signs of the groups were compared and there was a statistically significant decrease in respiration and increase in oxygen saturation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings showed that lavender oil inhalation reduced anxiety levels and had effects on the vital signs of BPH patients in their preoperative period. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.