The Effect of Aromatherapy Massage with Bergamot on Pain, Sedation, and Anxiety in ICU Patients

Background: Pain, anxiety, and agitation are common complications among intensive care unit (ICU) patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, often leading to poor clinical outcomes. Complementary therapies such as aromatherapy massage may offer a non-pharmacological approach to alleviate these symptoms.Aim: This study was conducted with aim to investigate the effects of aromatherapy massage using bergamot essential oil on pain, sedation, and anxiety levels in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.Method: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on ICU patients with a hospital stay of more than ۲۴ hours who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: aromatherapy massage with bergamot essential oil, massage with almond oil, and control (standard care). The interventions were administered once daily for three days per week. Pain, sedation, and anxiety levels were measured using the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), and the Facial Anxiety Scale (FAS) at baseline, and at ۳۰ minutes and ۶ hours post-intervention.Results: Both the aromatherapy massage and massage-only groups demonstrated significant reductions in pain severity and anxiety levels compared with the control group at ۳۰ minutes and ۶ hours post-intervention (p<۰.۰۵). No significant differences were found in sedation levels between the groups, indicating that the interventions did not influence sedation status.Implications for Practice: Aromatherapy massage with bergamot essential oil and regular massage may be effective and low-risk interventions for reducing pain and anxiety in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. These complementary therapies could be considered as adjuncts to routine care in critical care settings.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anxiety ، Aromatherapy ، Critical care ، Intensive Care Units ، Massage ، Measurement ، Pain Sedation ، Plant Oils ، Randomized controlled trial