The Effects of Aromatherapy on the Stress Levels of Nurses Working in an Urban, Safety-Net Community Hospital

Parkland Hospital inpatient nursing staff will be the focus of this study. This project aims to investigate the use of lavender on the stress levels associated with the nursing role. Nurses will wear the Elequil aromatabs ® over a four-hour period and a post survey will be given to assess root cause of stress and changes related to intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress Levels
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Elequil aromatabs ®

Detailed Description

Nurses today are facing unprecedented patient acuities, burnout, fear, uncertainty, a continuously evolving workflow and nursing shortages, Therefore, workplace-related stress has become one of today's most serious occupational hazards. Aromatherapy can be a convenient, inexpensive, and non-invasive method of stress relief. There is little research regarding the efficacy of aromatherapy by means of inhaling essential oils in reducing workplace stress-related symptoms among nurses. Therefore, this study will examine the efficacy of lavender-scented aromatherapy tabs (Elequil ® aromatabs ®) in reducing job stress-related symptoms among nurses.

The study for the participants goes as follows:

1. Nurse identified by:

   • Leadership
   • Self-identified
   • SPARKS member

2. Process:

   • Identified nurse will be informed and consented regarding the study.
   • An aromatab will be given to the nurse.
   • They will place the aromatab on their uniform top to allow for continuous exposure to the scent.
   • Four (4) hours later - nurse completes survey as to the effects of the aromatab
   • Completed survey is placed in research file at charge nurse desk in opaque folder.

Data to be used within the research project will be obtained from the collected survey forms.

Recruitment will be completed face-to-face between the SPARKS team member, leadership, or self -identification of the potential subject. Considerable care will be taken so that the person contacted does not feel pressured to participate.

The research team will meet prior to enrolling the first participant, during and upon completion of data collection. Any safety concerns will be addressed at those times. At any time during data collection, the PI's or any study team members may request that the team meets to address a safety concern. Study participants will be assured of anonymity and confidentiality of the data and they will also be reminded that they can withdraw from the study at any time.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 319
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235
      • Parkland Health and Hospital System

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Nurses volunteering to participate in the study and are experiencing stress while at work

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known allergies or sensitivities to aromatherapy products, a history of respiratory problems, asthma, allergies to fragrance, or lost sense of smell. Those nurses who have had serious disease complications will also be excluded from the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study Group; Nurses will wear the Elequil aromatabs ® (100% pure essential oil) over a four-hour period	Other: Elequil aromatabs ®; 100% pure essential oils in a unique controlled delivery system for relaxation, comfort, and sleep. Scented tabs on a self-adhesive label will be placed on the nurses's uniform for 4 hours to provide aromatherapy for the clinical setting.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean change in stress levels as measured by Nurse Survey	Nurse Survey is used for measuring the level of stress in nurses who agree that the intervention reduced their stress levels. Possible scores range from 0 - 10 with higher scores indicating severe stress levels (worse outcome).	Baseline, 4 hours post intervention (aromatherapy)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Parkland Health and Hospital System
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Justin Buchert, MSN, M.Ed., MS, RN, Parkland Health and Hospital System

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): October 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 24, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 24, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 29, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 2, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: STU-2020-1413

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No