Aromatherapy Blend for Postoperative Nausea in Ambulatory Surgery Patients

Postoperative nausea (PON) is one of the most common undesirable outcomes after surgery and increases patient dissatisfaction, hospital costs, and risk for postoperative complications. This quality-improvement project implemented and evaluated the effect of aromatherapy on nausea in adult postoperative patients.

Quality improvement project evaluating the inhalation of a blend of essential oils through an individual stick via an aroma stick.

This quality-improvement project was implemented in a postanesthesia care unit (PACU) in the Northeastern United States that averages 300 adult patients per month. Over the course of 12 weeks in the Fall of 2019, the project sample included all PACU registered nurses and patients with PON without allergies to inhalation agents or nasal surgery.

One hundred percent of PACU registered nurses (n = 20) were educated and demonstrated competence in the aromatherapy intervention; 70.6% (n = 36) of patients with PON used an aroma stick for PON treatment. Of the patients receiving the aroma stick for PON, 94.4% (n = 34) had improved PON scores.

Aromatherapy is an effective nonpharmacological treatment in reducing PON score for patients recovering from surgery. These results offer support for nursing practice to use aromatherapy as an additional method to enhance patient experience, improve outcomes, and reduce cost in recovery rooms.