Aromatherapy Application in Nursing Care: Systematic Analysis of Studies Conducted Over the Past Decade in Turkey

Abstract

Aromatherapy offers energy, treatment, and the balancing of body, mind, and soul by both scientific and artistic approaches. It is a non-pharmacological method that releases the healing power of essential oils obtained from herbal resources for improving a person mentally, physically and spiritually and also provides homeostasis. Aromatherapy has been used for 4,000 years as an integrative and complementary care practice. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the studies of aromatherapy conducted in Turkey. In particular, regarding the type of research, investigators characteristics, sampling, subjects, and conclusions of the studies. M Ma at te er ri ia al l a an nd d M Me et th ho od ds s: : Theses and studies about aromatherapy conducted by nurses between the years of 2007-2017 are included in this study. The data from the theses were obtained from the 'Turkey National Thesis Database' and the databases of medicine and nursing (ScienceDirect, Pubmed, and Ulakbim). The research sample comprises 35 studies conducted in Turkey between the years of 2007-2017. R Re es su ul lt ts s: : There were 35 studies about aromatherapy conducted in Turkey between 2007 and 2017. Of these, 77.1% (n=27) were postgraduate and doctoral theses. In this survey, 25.7% (n=9) are postgraduate theses, 51.4% (n=18) are doctoral theses, and 22.8% are research papers. Aromatherapy is mostly researched in doctoral theses in Turkey. C Co on nc cl lu us si io on n: : It was observed that pregnant women, the elderly, and patients with osteoarthritis, dementia, and cancer are most analyzed in studies conducted about the application of aromatherapy. In these studies, aromatherapy was used for pain control, relieving constipation, managing symptoms such as tiredness and anxiety, and increasing the quality of life. It is thought that aromatherapy has a positive effect on physiological and psychological well-being. Ease of use, efficiency and affordability are factors that increase the use of aromatherapy. To continue in this direction, nurses need to apply therapies that have multi-dimensional benefits, such as aromatherapy, correctly and effectively by learning from experienced professionals and attach these applications to nursing care by analyzing evidence-based surveys in the relevant areas. K Ke ey yw wo or rd ds s: : Aromatherapy; nursing Ö ÖZ ZE ET T A Am ma aç ç: : Aromaterapi, hem bilimsel hem de sanatsal yaklaşımlarıyla beden, zihin ve ruhun dengelenmesine, enerjisine ve tedavisine yardımcıdır. Kişiyi zihinsel, bedensel ve ruhsal olarak iyileştirmek ve homeostasiyi dengelemek için bitkisel kaynaklardan elde edilen esansiyel yağların iyileştirici gücünü ortaya çıkaran non-farmokolojik bir yöntemdir. Bu literatür incelemesinin amacı, tamamlayıcı ve bütünleştirici bakım uygulamalarından yaklaşık 4 bin yıllık geçmişi olan aromaterapi uygulaması ile ilgili Türkiye'de yapılmış araştırmaları araştırmaların tipi, araştırmacı özellikleri, örneklem, konuları ve sonuçları açısından incelemektir. G Ge er re eç ç v ve e Y Yö ön nt te em...