The purpose of this study is to assess whether essential oil aromatherapy could improve or eliminate the smell of burnt flesh from electrocautery and subsequently mitigate patient anxiety and discomfort during dermatologic skin surgery. This is a randomized clinical trial. Approximately 210 electrocautery participants will be randomized to receive sham control/no aromatherapy or aromatherapy. Patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire after completion of the procedure to assess their experience. This study was a pilot study designed to determine the feasibility of this procedure. Subjects currently living in the Chicago metropolitan area and meet inclusion/exclusion criteria will be invited and considered for enrollment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
111
Those randomized to the treatment group will have containers filled with the essential oil of their choice.
Those randomized to the control group will then be given empty single-use handheld aromatherapy containers containing no essential oil.
Northwestern University Department of Dermatology
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Self-reported perceptions of cautery smell on a 4-point likert scale
This is a patient-reported questionnaire about perceptions of smell.
Time frame: Immediately after surgery
Patient reported anxiety State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6)
Patient perioperative anxiety will be reported on the 6-item shortform of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) directly after procedure
Time frame: Immediately after surgery
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