The Effect of Aloe vera Compress in Reducing the Degree of Phlebitis among Hospitalized Children in Indonesia

Background: Aloe vera is more effective than routine treatment in relieving the symptoms of phlebitis. However, few studies, to the best of our knowledge, have been conducted in Indonesia to explore the effectiveness of Aloe vera on phlebitis among hospitalized children from a wide age range. The present study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of Aloe vera in reducing the degree of phlebitis among hospitalized children in Indonesia. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The sample of this study was 42 children (21 respondents in both groups) with phlebitis who were admitted to a public health center in West Java, Indonesia from May to July 2019. The intervention and control groups were provided with an Aloe vera extract compress (5 ml) and compress of 70% Alcohol, respectively. Visual Infusion Phlebitis (VIP) scale was used as a monitoring tool in the present study. The Mann-Whitney test was used to evaluate the difference in the degree of phlebitis between the intervention and control groups. Wilcoxon test was also used to evaluate the differences before and after the intervention. Results: The majority of respondents were in the neonatal period (45.23%) with normal nutrition status (54.76%). The average duration of hospitalization was seven days, and intravenous therapy solution non-electrolyte and antibiotics were received. The mean post-test scores decreased in both groups. There was a statistically significant difference between the phlebitis score both in the Aloe Vera and 70% baseline-specific experimental classes, during 8, 16, 32, 40, 48 hrs after treatment (p 0.05). The average VIP score in the Aloe vera group is higher than that of 70% alcohol. It indicates that the VIP score in the Aloe vera group is further reduced. Conclusion: This study found that Aloe vera could significantly reduce the degree of phlebitis compared to 70% alcohol. The findings of this study could be an alternative recommendation in managing phlebitis among hospitalized children.