Henna (Lawsonia inermis) as an Inexpensive Method to Prevent Decubitus Ulcers in Critical Care Units: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND. Henna has been used to combat various diseases and pathological conditions of the skin. This study aimed to determine the cooling and protecting effects of henna on prevention of decubitus ulcers in critical care units. METHOD. This is a randomized clinical trial. It was conducted on 80 patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups of control and intervention (n = 40) by blocking method. For the intervention group, along with the standard prevention cares for decubitus ulcers, henna was applied with 15 cm extent on the patients’ sacrum. RESULTS. At the end of the study, 1 patient in the intervention group (2.7% male) and 6 patients in the control group (14.29% male, 2.85% female) had developed decubitus ulcers; this difference was significant (P = .001). CONCLUSION. For every patient at risk of developing decubitus ulcers, application of henna as a preventive measure is recommended.