[Nursing without and with essential oils: a controlled study of patients in an acute rheumatologic department]

Before introducing essential oils in nursing in a whole clinic, a controlled pilot study was performed. Within the study frame, forty voluntary patients of a rheumatology ward in the City Hospital Triemli (Zurich, Switzerland) had each an indicated nursing intervention without and with essential oils. The main criteria of the nursing activities were physical contact between patient and nurse; no medication besides the prescribed ones, same procedure with and without essential oils. Data recorded immediately before and 30 to 45 minutes after nursing comprised the general well-being of patients in their own and their nurse's ratings, the patient's rating of his/her state with respect to all study nursing indications, and the nurse's self-rating with respect to her mental well-being. At discharge patients commented on their in-patient stay as well as on nursing with essential oils. The general well-being of study participants was comparable before either type of nursing intervention with the exception of the aspect of well-being due to which the intervention was done: ratings of these intervention-specific aspects were much worse in relation to nursing with than without essential oils. However, specific well-being significantly improved only due to nursing with but not without essential oils. The larger the intervention-specific effect of nursing with essential oils, the significantly more positive were the comments on nursing with essential oils at the patients' discharge.

Nursing with essential oils has specific effects, but does not improve the general well-being. Nursing with essential oils is more efficacious than when oils are not applied.