Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Nursing - Department of Surgical Nursing

Background: Arteriovenous fistula needling pain is a stressful and unavoidable harm to patients undergoing hemodialysis. Complementary therapies such as lavender essential oil and cryotherapy are among simple and safe methods to reduce that pain. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of lavender essential oil versus cryotherapy on pain intensity during arteriovenous fistula needling. Design: Comparative, time series design was utilized. Sample: A convenient sample of 60 adult patients undergoing hemodialysis with arteriovenous fistula participated in this study. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups: lavender and cryotherapy. Setting: The study was conducted at a hemodialysis unit in Cairo University Hospitals. Tools: Two tools were utilized to collect data: Structured Interview Questionnaire and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Results. The findings showed that the total mean scores of pain intensity before and after application of lavender essential oil reduced from 4.87±1.11 to 3.10±1.47, while there was more significant reduction before and after the application of cryotherapy from 4.70±0.96 to 2.36±0.83. There were highly statistically significant differences of mean scores of pain intensity between the two methods (P{u2264}0.001).Conclusion. Both lavender essential oil and cryotherapy significantly reduce arteriovenous fistula needling pain. The study recommended the application of lavender and cryotherapy as a part of routine care for patients undergoing hemodialysis prior to the procedure of arteriovenous fistula needling

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