Lavender Aromatherapy for Anxiety During Urodynamics

This study design is a randomized placebo control trial.

Aside from randomization to aromatherapy versus placebo, no procedures will be performed for study purposes that would not be normally performed in the clinical evaluation.

Women scheduled for urodynamic testing at the Los Angeles County University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Urogynecology clinic will be invited to participate. Participants who meet inclusion criteria will be randomized to the aromatherapy or the placebo group after informed consent is obtained and immediately before undergoing multichannel urodynamics. Sequentially numbered sealed opaque envelopes containing the identity of the study arm will be used for randomization. The urogynecology clinic nurse will prepare the aromatherapy versus distilled water on the paper towel that the patient is routinely given to hold over their mouths when asked to cough during the procedure; two drops of each will be utilized. Before the physician comes in, the nurse will ask the participant to take a deep breath while holding the towel 3 inches from her face and will instruct the participant to continue to take normal breaths subsequently. It will not be possible to blind the participants or the examiner to the assigned group since the lavender oil will have a different scent than the placebo. However, the use of distilled water on the towel will allow the possibility that the deep breathing accompanying the instruction may have an effect on reported pain and anxiety.

The participant will undergo the standard clinic exam in standardized order. The participants will complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Survey (HADS) at baseline. The HADS is reliable instrument for detecting states of depression and anxiety in the setting of a hospital medical outpatient clinic; it is available in English and Spanish versions. This will be used to establish their baseline anxiety levels. Participants will then be asked to rate their level of anxiety and pain immediately before beginning the exam, immediately after catheter placement, and 15 min after termination of the study using a 10 point visual analogue scale and the Wong-Baker pain scale.

Inclusion criteria

• Women aged 18 and over,
• Scheduled to undergo multichannel urodynamic study,
• Able to give informed consent,
• Able to read and write in English or Spanish,
• Anxiety score > 0 on numerical scale at baseline

Exclusion criteria

• Any contraindication to multichannel urodynamic study (active urinary tract infection, active pelvic infection, glucosuria, severe hypertension, or any other condition that might be worsened by an uncomfortable test),
• Allergy to lavender oil, or any of its components