Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31659939›Full record

SynthesisPalliative medicine2020

The effectiveness of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology in people with palliative care needs: A systematic review.

Bridget Candy, Megan Armstrong, Kate Flemming, Nuriye Kupeli, Patrick Stone, Victoria Vickerstaff, Susie Wilkinson

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Palliative medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
9.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Using an aromatherapy intervention withInternational journal of nursing sciences · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Bridget CandyMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9935-7840
Megan ArmstrongMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6773-9393
Kate FlemmingDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0795-8516
Nuriye KupeliMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6511-412X
Patrick StoneMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Victoria VickerstaffMarie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
Susie WilkinsonPalliative Care Institute Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
University College London · GBUniversity of Liverpool · GBUniversity of York · GB

Funding

Marie Curie MCCC-FCH-18-UMarie Curie MCCC-FCO-11-UMarie Curie MCCC-FPO-16-UMarie Curie MCRGS-07-16-36
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAromatherapy, massage and reflexology are widely used in palliative care. Despite this, there are questions about their suitability for inclusion in clinical guidelines. The need to understand their benefits is a public priority, especially in light of funding pressures.

aimTo synthesise current evidence on the effectiveness of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology in people with palliative care needs.

designA systematic review of randomised controlled trials (PROSPERO CRD42017081409) was undertaken following international standards including Cochrane guidelines. The quality of trials and their pooled evidence were appraised. Primary outcomes on effect were anxiety, pain and quality-of-life. DATA SOURCES: Eight citation databases and three trial registries were searched to June 2018.

resultsTwenty-two trials, involving 1956 participants were identified. Compared with a control, four evaluated aromatherapy, eight massage and six reflexology. A further four evaluated massage compared with aromatherapy. Trials were at an unclear risk of bias. Many had small samples. Heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. In comparison with usual care, another therapy or an active control, evidence on the effectiveness of massage and aromatherapy in reducing anxiety, pain and improving quality-of-life was inconclusive. There was some evidence (low quality) that compared to an active control, reflexology reduced pain.

conclusionsThis review identified a relatively large number of trials, but with poor and heterogeneous evidence. New clinical recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence. To help provide more definitive trial findings, it may be useful first to understand more about the best way to measure the effectiveness of these therapies in palliative care.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAromatherapyFemaleHospice and Palliative Care NursingHumansMaleMassageMiddle AgedMind-Body TherapiesMusculoskeletal ManipulationsPalliative CareQuality of LifeanxietyComplementary therapiespainpalliative carequality of lifesystematic review

Identifiers

PMID31659939
PMCPMC7000853
OpenAlexW2982580733

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.