Aromatherapy and Anxiety Study

March 24, 2025 updated by: NYU Langone Health

The Effect of Aromatherapy on Situational Anxiety in Adults Receiving Intra-Articular Injections in the Ambulatory Clinic Setting

While intra-articular injections can alleviate pain in orthopedic patients, this can be an anxiety-provoking experience. Adult patients scheduled to receive an injection at the study location will be randomly assigned to one of three groups. The control group (C) will receive the current standard of nursing care. The first experimental group (A) will receive a guided meditation prior to receiving the injection. The second experimental group (B) will receive an Elequil Aromatab and the same guided meditation prior to receiving the injection.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The objective of the study is to measure the difference in anxiety levels of adult orthopedic patients in need of intra-articular injections who receive a guided meditation only prior to their injection, compared to those who receive a guided meditation and an aromatherapy Elequil Aromatab prior to injection, as well as compared with those who receive the usual standard of care

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10010
        • NYU Langone Health

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patient has an in-office appointment at the NYU Langone Ambulatory Care-23rd Street location with either the Ortho A & B (primarily those patients who may be seeking knee or hip replacement surgery), Hand, or Primary Sport clinics.
  • Patient has an order for an intra-articular injection (as determined by clinic MD) and has consented to receiving that treatment.
  • Patient is English speaking.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patient has a cognitive or physical disability that would interfere with their ability to complete the study's pre and post assessments with RN.
  • Patient is found on the pre-injection assessment form to have an intolerance or allergy to lavender, sandalwood, or strong scents in general.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Control
Participants in the control arm will receive the current standard of nursing care for treating anxiety prior to receiving the intra-articular injection (emotional support, distraction, and/or therapeutic touch as necessary).
Experimental: Experimental Group A
Participants in Group A will receive a guided meditation prior to receiving the intra-articular injection.
Behavioral: Guided Meditation
In private exam room, the study registered nurse (RN) will read a prepared two minute guided meditation to patient.
Experimental: Experimental Group B
Participants in Group B will receive an Elequil Aromatab and the same guided meditation delivered to Group A prior to receiving the intra-articular injection.
Behavioral: Guided Meditation
In private exam room, the study registered nurse (RN) will read a prepared two minute guided meditation to patient.
Other: Aromatherapy
In private exam room, study RN will first affix an Elequil Aromatab to patient's clothing on either their upper arm or chest (whichever the patient prefers and/or as clothing allows).
Other Names:
  • Elequil Aromatab

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Short-Version Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (SSTAI) Score
Time Frame: 10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
The Short-Version SSTAI is a 10-item self-assessment of anxiety, with 5 items assessing states of anxiety and 5 items assessing traits of anxiety. Each item is scored on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4, where (1 = not at all) and (4 = very much so). The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 10-40; lower scores indicate lower levels of anxiety. A decrease in scores indicates anxiety decreased during the observational period.
10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
Change in Pain Score
Time Frame: 10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
On a scale of 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = the worst pain imaginable), participants rank their pain prior to the injection and after the injection. The total score ranges from 0-10, with higher scores indicating greater pain. A decrease in score indicates pain decreased during the observational period.
10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
Change in Blood Pressure
Time Frame: 10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
Participants will have their blood pressure (systolic/diastolic - mmHg) taken before and after the injection.
10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
Change in Heart Rate
Time Frame: 10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)
Participants will have their heart rate (beats per minute) measured before and after the injection.
10-15 minutes prior to injection, 5 minutes post-injection (Day 1)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
NYU Langone Health

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jennifer Withall, PhD, NYU Langone Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 4, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 21, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 21, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 17, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 24, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 23-00170

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Data to be used for only this study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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