The effect of reiki and aromatherapy applied to patients undergoing upper gastroi̇ntestinal endoscopy on vital signs, oxygen saturation and anxiety level

It is known that Reiki and aromatherapy,which are included within the scope of complementary and integrated practices,are used for pain,anxiety,sleep and stress-related disorders under the consultancy of nurses.This study was conducted to examine the effect of reiki and aromatherapy on vital signs,oxygen saturation and anxiety levels in patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal(GI) endoscopy.The randomized controlled study in the pretest-posttest design was completed with the reiki group(n:34),the aromatherapy group(n:33) and thecontrol group(n:33).Patient identification form,vital signs and oxygen saturation monitoring form and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) were applied to the Reiki,aromatherapy and control groups before the procedure.Reiki was applied to the Reiki group for20 minutes in line with the Reiki practice guide,while inhaled lavender was applied to the aromatherapy group for 20 minutes.Only hospital routines were applied to the control group.During the procedure,vital signs and oxygen saturation monitoring form was applied to all groups,after the procedure,vital signs and oxygen saturation monitoring form and STAI were applied to all groups.The mean anxiety score of the Reiki group was 53.76±2.93 before endoscopy,43.94±4.31 afterendoscopy.The mean anxiety score of the aromatherapy group was53.79±3.9 before endoscopy,43.85±3.91 after endoscopy.The mean anxiety score of the control group was 38.33±4.52 before endoscopy, 52.52±7.59 after endoscopy(P<.05).In the study,it was found that reiki and aromatherapy applied before endoscopy significantly decreased theanxiety levels of the patients.Mean breathing rate and oxygen saturation measurement values were significantly different from each other accordingto groups (P<.05).As a result,reiki and inhaler lavender can be applied to patients who will undergo upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to reduce their anxiety before the procedure.