Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39070282›Full record

ArticleGlobal advances in integrative medicine and health

Effect of Aromatherapy on Perceived Mental Health Parameters for Academic Department Workers Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study.

Susanne M Cutshall, Molly J Mallory, Shelley M Noehl, Jennifer N Soderlind, Karen M Fischer, Sanjeev Nanda, Brent A Bauer, Dietlind L Wahner-Roedler

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global advances in integrative medicine and health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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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

8 authors.

Susanne M CutshallDepartment of Nursing, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Molly J MalloryDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3646-4179
Shelley M NoehlDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Jennifer N SoderlindDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Karen M FischerDivision of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Sanjeev NandaDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3363-3982
Brent A BauerDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3453-6906
Dietlind L Wahner-RoedlerDivision of General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5974-0578

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, medical staff and academic department workers reported increasing levels of stress and burnout because of strain on the health care system. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this strain and introduced several novel stressors, which included transitioning to remote work. Safe and scalable strategies are needed to help health care workers cope with these stressors. Aromatherapy may help address this need. Objectives: To assess the effect of 2 aromatherapy interventions (essential oil blends termed STILL and FOCUS) on perceived mental/psychological health parameters for academic department workers working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were advised to use STILL for 5 days (Monday through Friday). After a 2-day washout period (Saturday and Sunday), participants were instructed to use FOCUS for 5 days (Monday through Friday). Participants completed a visual analog scale survey evaluating restlessness, fatigue, anxiety, stress, happiness, energy, relaxation, calmness, and well-being before and after each of the 2 intervention periods. Results: Twenty academic department remote workers participated in the study. Mental/psychological health surveys were completed by 6 participants before and after using STILL and by 10 before and after using FOCUS. Five participants answered all survey questions before and after both interventions. Although mean (SD) perceived stress scores improved after both the STILL (4.3 [2.3] vs 1.8 [1.7], Conclusions: The STILL and FOCUS aromatherapy interventions did not significantly improve mental/psychological health parameters for remote academic department workers, although perceived stress was marginally improved and participants reported a perceived benefit from using aromatherapy.

Indexed as

allied health personnelanxietyaromatherapyCOVID-19occupational stressprofessional burnout

Identifiers

PMID39070282
PMCPMC11273579

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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.