title: The effectiveness of nurse-delivered aromatherapy in an acute care setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the use and effectiveness of essential oil therapeutic interventions on pain, nausea, and anxiety, when provided by nurses to patients in acute hospital settings across a large health system. This study expands upon the limited body of literature on aromatherapy use among inpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, effectiveness study using data obtained from electronic health records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten Allina Health hospitals located in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nurse-delivered aromatherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Change in patient-reported pain, anxiety, and nausea, rated before and after receiving aromatherapy using a numeric rating scale (0-10).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 10,262 hospital admissions during the study time frame in which nurse-delivered aromatherapy was part of patient care. The majority of admissions receiving aromatherapy were females (81.71%) and white (87.32%). Over 75% of all aromatherapy sessions were administered via inhalation. Lavender had the highest absolute frequency (49.5%) of use regardless of mode of administration, followed by ginger (21.2%), sweet marjoram (12.3%), mandarin (9.4%), and combination oils (7.6%). Sweet marjoram resulted in the largest single oil average pain change at -3.31 units (95% CI: -4.28, -2.33), while lavender and sweet marjoram had equivalent average anxiety changes at -2.73 units, and ginger had the largest single oil average change in nausea at -2.02 units (95% CI: -2.55, -1.49).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Essential oils generally resulted in significant clinical improvements based on their intended use, although each oil also showed ancillary benefits for other symptoms. Future research should explore use of additional essential oils, modes of administration, and different patient populations.
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: joh02544@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jill R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: Rachael.Rivard@allina.com.
authors.forename: Rachael L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Rivard
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: Kristen.Griffin@allina.com.
authors.forename: Kristen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: Alison.Kolste@allina.com.
authors.forename: Alison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kolste
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: Denise.Joswiak@allina.com.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Joswiak
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: mekinney1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kinney
authors.affiliation: Integrative Health Research Center, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, Allina Health, 2925 Chicago Avenue South, Mail Route 10039, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1321, United States, United States. Electronic address: Jeffery.Dusek@allina.com.
authors.forename: Jeffery A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dusek
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy*; D019341:Aromatherapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile
keywords: Acute care; Anxiety; Aromatherapy; Essential oils; Nausea; Pain