Effect of lavender aromatherapy on the accuracy, exam anxiety and performance of nursing students in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE): a randomized clinical trial

One of the most common problems of nursing students in the clinical environment and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), is anxiety and lack of accuracy, which can lead to negative effects on their learning and performance. Considering the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of aromatherapy, the present study aims to the effect of lavender aromatherapy on the accuracy, exam anxiety, and performance of nursing students in OSCE.

This clinical trial study was conducted on 60 undergraduate nursing students under the OSCE in 2022. Eligible students who met inclusion criteria were recruited by convenience sampling and then were allocated randomly with the random sequence generation software, to intervention (n=30) and control groups (n=30). The intervention included aromatherapy with lavender essential oil with 100% purity for 10 minutes. Toulouse- Pieron Attention questionnaire, Sarason's test anxiety, and performance checklist were used in this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods by SPSS version 26 statistical software.

The results indicated a significant decrease in the average exam anxiety score with P = 0.03 and a significant improvement in accuracy with P < 0.001 after aromatherapy in the intervention group. Also, the results of the independent t-test showed that after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the average exam anxiety score with P = 0.02 and accuracy with P < 0.001 between the intervention and control groups. Meanwhile, the average performance score of the students' grades was not significant between the two groups.

Considering the positive effects of inhaling the scent of lavender in improving the accuracy and reducing the anxiety of the nursing students' exam, the use of this low-cost program, with easy access and without complications, is recommended along with other methods.