Abstract
Objectives: Many carers of patients receiving palliative care are suffering from stress. The use of complementary therapies for stress reduction are gaining popularity but have not been evaluated in this population. The aim of this study was to determine if it would be feasible to conduct a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of aromatherapy on carers of patients with cancer. Design: Pilot randomised controlled trialSetting: Local outpatient clinic Interventions: Ten carers of patients with cancer were randomly allocated to receive either six sessions of aromatherapy massage or relaxation.Main outcome measures: Outcome measures were the Hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the Measure Your Medical Outcome Profile taken pre and post-intervention and follow-up (Week 12). Results: Six participants completed the study. The limited data would suggest there were clinically significant improvements following aromatherapy massage for anxiety, depression and sleep. No changes were observed following relaxation. Conclusions: The results suggest that aromatherapy massage may be of benefit for people caring for patients with advanced cancer, in alleviating anxiety and depression. This pilot study has provided information required to allow the design of a fully powered RCT into the effect of aromatherapy massage on carers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 9-16 |
| Journal | International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 2008 |
