Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review

Degree Name

Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

Department Chair

John Cavenagh, MBA, PhD, PA-C

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not “Does Lavender Aromatherapy or Tea Improve Quality of Sleep in Women?”

Study Design: Systematic review of three English language, primary, randomized controlled trials published between 2012 and 2015.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials were obtained using PubMed and NCBI.

Outcomes Measured: The clinical outcome of sleep quality was measured in these studies via the Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale (PSQS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI).

Results: Statistical significance was determined for each randomized control trial (RCT) using pvalue < 0.05. In a RCT by Chen et. al (2015), 2 weeks of intervention were used with no statistical significance found 2 weeks posttest (p=0.460) or 4 weeks posttest (p=0.901). In a RCT by Keshavarz et. al (2015), statistical significance was found when comparing the experimental and control groups after 8 weeks of intervention (p=0.033) and when comparing the groups pretest and 8 week follow-up results (p=0.002). In a RCT by Chien et. al (2012), statistical significance was found when comparing total scores before and after 12 weeks of intervention within the experimental group (p<0.001) but not within the control group (p=0.776). However, a p-value for comparison between the groups after intervention was not reported.

Conclusions: This systematic review concludes that lavender aromatherapy, not lavender tea, can be used to improve sleep quality in women. Further studies with standardized criteria and variables need to be conducted for generalizability of these results.

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