The effect of a combined treatment of foot soak and lavender oil inhalation therapy on the severity of insomnia of patients with cancer: Randomized interventional study

Objectives: This three-arm randomized intervention study was carried out with the aim to evaluate the effects of a combined foot soak and lavender oil inhalation therapy on the severity of insomnia of patients with cancer.Method: This research was carried out in oncology and palliative services. Forty-five patients were randomly assigned to three groups. Throughout a 14-day period, 20 min of foot soak treatment was applied to the patients in the F group, patients in the L group were applied lavender oil inhalation therapy for 5 min and a combined treatment of foot soak and lavender oil inhalation therapy were applied to the patients in the FL group. Insomnia severity of the patients in all groups were evaluated twice using the Insomnia Severity Index at the baseline and on the fifteenth day. Results: The severity of the insomnia of the patients in all groups was found to be moderate. The severity of the insomnia in the second evaluation was found to be statistically significantly lower in the L and FL groups (p<0.05) compared to the baseline evaluation within the group, however no significant difference was found in the F group (p>0.05). The effect size of a combined treatment of foot soak and lavender oil inhalation therapy on the severity of insomnia of patients in the FL group was higher and moderate (d = 0.684) compared to merely foot soak and merely lavender oil inhalation therapy.Conclusion: A combined treatment of foot soak and lavender oil inhalation therapy shall mitigate the severity of a moderate level of insomnia of patients with cancer.