Lavender Inhalation on Intramuscular Injection Pain of Magnesium Sulfate in Pre-Eclamptic Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Repeated maintenance intramuscular injections of magnesium sulfate can be painful experiences. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lavender oil on intramuscular injection pain of magnesium sulfate.
This randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was performed on 40 females undergoing postpartum care. The females were assigned to the lavender oil and placebo groups with 20 samples in each group. They received lavender oil inhalation or placebo 10 to 15 minutes before and after injections. The pain during and after the intramuscular injection was assessed using the visual analog scale and verbal reports. In addition, the pain during an intramuscular injection without any intervention was measured and considered as baseline pain.
The intensity of pain at baseline had a mean value of 68 ± 23.78, with a median value of 72, and mode of 100. Also, 55% of the females described their pain verbally as severe and very severe. Upon interventions, the 2 groups had no statistically significant differences in relation to the intensity of pain during and after the intramuscular injection (t-test and Mann-Whitney U test, respectively). According to the paired-wise analysis, the intensity of pain during the intramuscular injection upon the intervention was lower than baseline in the lavender essential oil group (P = 0.01). Nevertheless, Fisher’s exact test showed that the female’s satisfaction was higher in the lavender essential oil group compared to the placebo group (P = 0.01).
This study supports the use of aromatherapy with the aim to improve patient well-being in painful medical procedures.