Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Family Nurse Practioner
Year Degree Awarded
2019
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/14419107
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
lavender essential oil, aromatherapy, stress relief, nursing stress
Advisor
Dr. Raeann Leblanc
DNP Project Chair
Dr. Raeann Leblanc
DNP Project Member Name
Kandace Vieira RN, MSN
Abstract
Lavender essential oil as a form of aromatherapy is proven to be an effective way to relieve occupational stress among nurses, providing them with a healthy self-care outlet. The purpose of this DNP project was to decrease the stress levels of inpatient nurses by implementing lavender essential oil aromatherapy as a self-care initiative. Willing inpatient Registered Nurses within a fast-paced inpatient telemetry unit were given a vial that contained three drops of Young Living lavender essential oil enclosed within at the beginning of their shifts. The nurses were asked to carry it with them during their eight-hour shifts for three weeks and directly inhale the aroma twice when they perceived stress. A Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) was administered before and after aromatherapy exposure for pre-post comparison to measure the effectiveness of the aromatherapy self-care intervention. Nine registered nurses out of forty (23%) from a telemetry inpatient unit participated in the project. The average Nursing Stress Scale score of the participants prior to the aromatherapy exposure was 83 and the average score after exposure decreased to 75. Eight out of nine nurses (89%) felt stress relief from utilizing aromatherapy within their nursing work shifts over the three-week period. The nurses who used their vials the least, 1-3 times a day, had a lower average post aromatherapy score of 69.5. Those who inhaled their aromatherapy more often during their shift, 3-6 or 6 plus times a day, had higher average post NSS scores of 80, 75 and 71. In conclusion, Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil is an effective self-care intervention that lowers stress levels among inpatient nurses.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.