Investigating and comparing the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint and rosemary essential oils on memory function and anxiety of operating room technology and anesthesia students

Determining and comparing the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint and rosemary essential oils on memory function and anxiety of operating room technology and anesthesia students

A clinical trial with a control group, with parallel groups, double-blind, randomized, on 90 patients. Sealed envelopes will be used for randomization

On the first day of the intervention, a cotton ball dipped in two drops of peppermint oil or rosemary oil or a placebo (distilled water) will be presented to the participant and then asked to place it at a distance of 5 cm from the nose. They breathe deeply for 15 minutes slowly and focusing on the smell of essential oil. The interventions will be repeated in the same way for 2 weeks (4 times a week) (8 sessions in total). Finally, after the end of the interventions, the evaluations including memory performance and anxiety will be completed on the morning of the 15th day using questionnaires, and the person who analyzes the results will be blind.

Inclusion criteria: passing at least one unit of internship in the operating room (semester 2 and above); not allergic to peppermint and rosemary essential oil; absence of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological or psychiatric disorders based on self-report. Exclusion criteria: participating in an aromatherapy study now; taking any medication that affects memory and anxiety; absence of the person during intervention sessions; occurrence of any allergic reaction, shortness of breath or sudden change in hemodynamic status.

The participant will be presented with a cotton ball dipped in two drops of peppermint oil or rosemary oil or a placebo (distilled water) and then asked to place it 5 cm away from the nos. Participants breathe deeply for 15 minutes, slowly focusing on the scent of the essential oil.

Memory function and anxiety

Randomization sequence: The randomization sequence will be established by a statistician who is not involved in participant enrollment or assignment to interventions. Participant enrollment: Participants will be enrolled by a research assistant who is aware of inclusion and exclusion criteria but blind to group assignments. Allocation of interventions: After registration, the participant will be assigned to the peppermint essential oil group, the rosemary essential oil group, or the control based on the sequence determined by the sealed envelope method. Meanwhile, the research assistant opens the sealed envelope related to the participant's registration number.

The individual involved in data collection and outcome assessment is intentionally blinded to the allocation of participants (e.g., intervention or control group) to minimize the potential for bias affecting the study results.