Aromatherapy in Reducing PONV for Total Joint Replacement Patients (RCT PONV)

January 5, 2026 updated by: Choi Wan Chan, Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital

A Randomized Control Trial on the Efficacy of Aromatherapy in Reducing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Total Joint Replacement Patients

This study investigates the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) among patients undergoing total joint replacement surgery, as these complications can lead to patient discomfort and prolonged recovery. It is designed as a randomized controlled trial involving 159 participants, who will be divided into three groups: an intervention group receiving aromatherapy patches (lavender-sandalwood or orange-ginger) plus standard care, a placebo group with a placebo patch plus standard care, and a control group receiving standard care alone. PONV will be measured using the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (RINVR) at baseline, 30 minutes after the intervention, and every 12 hours post-surgery. Additionally, patient satisfaction will be assessed through a 5-point Likert scale survey. The primary outcome of the study is the evaluation of RINVR scores, while the secondary outcome focuses on patient satisfaction levels. Data will be statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA for repeated measures, with a significance level defined as p < 0.05. The study aims to determine the viability of aromatherapy as a complementary treatment for PONV, potentially improving postoperative care, enhancing patient satisfaction, and offering a cost-effective alternative to conventional anti emetic treatments if proven effective.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

159

Phase

  • 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

  • Name: Victor CHEUNG, EOII(MDSSC)
  • Phone Number: 8773 852-3506
  • Email: ckl414@ha.org.hk

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Choi Wan CHAN, APN (NURSING)
  • Phone Number: 6266 852-2339
  • Email: cw.chan1@ha.org.hk

Study Locations

  • Hong Kong
    • Hong Kong
      • Wong Tai Sin, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • Recruiting
        • Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ka Wai Fiona Mak, WM (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Claudia Fuk Chi Cheng, RN (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Victor Cheng, EOII(MDSSC)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Yuk Chun Lai, RN (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Yat Hung Lee, RN (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Kwan Yi Lew, RN (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ka Wun Sit, APN (NURSING)
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Wing Sze Tse, RN (NURSING)

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 or above
  • Patients scheduled for total joint replacement surgery at the HKBH

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cognitive impairments
  • Allergy to lavender, orange, ginger, or sandalwood
  • Allergy to micro-pore tape
  • Allergy to opioid medication
  • Undergoing other therapeutic treatment for PONV control, except prescribed medications

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Aromatherapy patches
Standard Care + Use of Aromatherapy Patches
Other: Aromatherapy patches
Applying aromatherapy patch served as intervention part in addition to standard care. Aromatherapy patch will be attached to the inner side of of the patient's top covered by a plain gauze with micro-pore tape.
Other Names:
  • Lavender-Sandalwood patch
  • Orange-Ginger patch
Placebo Comparator: Placebo patches
Standard Care + Use of Placebo Patches
Other: Placebo Patches
On top of standard care. Placebo patch, which looks like the aromatherapy patch but contains no element of any essential oil, will be attached to the inner side of of the patient's top covered by a plain gauze with micro-pore tape.
Active Comparator: Prescribed antiemetic treatment
As standard care alone
Drug: Control (Standard treatment)
Prescribed antiemetic treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 24 hours at 4 timepoints: T0 (baseline at PACU), T1 (up to 30 minutes from applying intervention to reassessment at PACU), T2 (up to 12-hour post-intervention in ward), T3 (up to 24-hour post-intervention in ward).
as measured by Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching, which consists of 8-item 4-point Likert-scales for nausea, vomiting, and retching symptoms with a total score ranging from 0 to 32 for each time point. The higher scores indicate the higher severity of nausea, vomiting, and retching experienced by the patient.
Through study completion, an average of 24 hours at 4 timepoints: T0 (baseline at PACU), T1 (up to 30 minutes from applying intervention to reassessment at PACU), T2 (up to 12-hour post-intervention in ward), T3 (up to 24-hour post-intervention in ward).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 24 hours at 4 timepoints: T0 (baseline at PACU), T1 (up to 30 minutes from applying intervention to reassessment at PACU), T2 (up to 12-hour post-intervention in ward), T3 (up to 24-hour post-intervention in ward).
Use of patient satisfaction survey which consists of 2-item 5-point Likert scales to address the extent to which intervention could be effective in discomfort relief and control perceived by patients. The total score of the survey ranged from 2 to 10; the higher the score the more likely patients showed agreement on treatment effectiveness in discomfort relief and control.
Through study completion, an average of 24 hours at 4 timepoints: T0 (baseline at PACU), T1 (up to 30 minutes from applying intervention to reassessment at PACU), T2 (up to 12-hour post-intervention in ward), T3 (up to 24-hour post-intervention in ward).

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital

Collaborators

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Choi Wan CHAN, APN (NURSING), Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 2, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 2, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

December 15, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 5, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CIRB-2025-242-5

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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