The effect of chamomile cream on first-degree pressure ulcer in patients admitted to intensive care units; a randomized clinical trial study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chamomile cream on healing of first-degree pressure ulcer in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) of Alzahra and Amin hospitals of Isfahan City, and Imam Hossein hospital of Golpayegan City, Iran. Methods: This study was performed on two groups of 35 patients in ICUs who had first-degree pressure ulcer in different parts of the body. In the control group, patients received only standard care for pressure ulcer prevention, including positional change, use of wavy mattresses, etc. The wound was washed with normal saline. In intervention group, more than the standard care, chamomile cream was used in ulcer for 7 days. The work was followed up for 7 days according to Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) on the first, fourth, and seventh days of the study of pressure ulcer healing, and the questionnaires were compared between the two groups. Findings: At the fourth and seventh days of the study, the mean PUSH scores of pressure ulcer were significantly lower in intervention group (P < 0.001). Before intervention, the mean PUSH score of pressure ulcer in intervention group was 6.44 ± 2.25, which reduced to 1.33 ± 1.12 at the seventh day. In control group, the first assessment of the PUSH score was 5.86 ± 1.93, which increased to 8.14 ± 2.40 at the seventh day. Conclusion: It seems that using chamomile cream is effective in the treatment of first-degree pressure ulcers. Further studies are suggested to investigate the effect of chamomile on healing of second-degree pressure ulcers. © 2021 Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.