Effect of Rosa damascena Oil Aromatherapy on Fatigue Severity in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: The prevalence of fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis is high. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Rosa damascena oil on fatigue severity in patients receiving hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 74 patients receiving hemodialysis in Tabriz, Iran from January 21 to February 21, 2019. The patients were conveniently recruited and assigned into two groups of intervention and control using a block randomization method with block sizes of four and six and a sequence of 1:1. Patients in the intervention group were trained to inhale three drops of R. damascena oil each night for one month. We used the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) for data collection and analyzed the data using the independent samples and paired t tests. Results: No significant difference was found between the two groups respecting the mean baseline fatigue scores (P=0.12). However, at the end of the study, the mean fatigue score was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=0.001). Conclusions: We witnessed that R. damascena oil aromatherapy significantly reduced the severity of fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis. This useful and inexpensive technique can be utilized as a complementary method to relieve fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis.