Effects of lavender essential oil for colorectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy on elimination of odor, quality of life, and ostomy adjustment: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: To examine the effects of the addition of lavender essential oil to the colostomy bag of the patients with permanent colostomy on the elimination of odor, quality of life, and ostomy adjustment.

Methods: As a parallel group, single-blinded randomized controlled trial with repeated measures, this study was conducted between November 2016 and February 2018. Patients with a permanent colostomy that had opened at least three months before the study were stratified according to age and sex and were randomized according to days of week. The study sample included 15 patients in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. Patients in the experimental group used lavender essential oil in the ostomy bag, and patients in the control group continued their routine practices about nutrition and stoma care for 1 month.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between the experimental and control groups (p > 0.05). As compared with the control group patients, the experimental group patients who used lavender essential oil in the ostomy bag experienced statistically significant less odor, a higher quality of life, and better adjustment to ostomy (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The use of lavender essential oil in the ostomy bag is a simple, low-cost, easy-to-use, and natural method that is effective for increasing both ostomy adjustment and quality of life levels and for eliminating odor in permanent colostomy patients.