Aromatherapy's Effect on Anxiety in Hospital Nurses: Analysis

This report analyzes a study by Donaldson et al. (2017) that investigated the effects of aromatherapy on anxiety experienced by hospital nurses. The study, conducted at a trauma center, used the State Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI Y-1) to assess anxiety levels in nurses before and after aromatherapy interventions. The report highlights the study's methodology, including the use of quantitative data analysis with SPSS. While the study demonstrated the potential of aromatherapy, the report points out limitations such as the lack of a control group and the difference in the number of nurses who participated in the pre and post-tests. The report recommends further research on stress reduction interventions for orthopedic nurses and emphasizes the potential of aromatherapy to improve job satisfaction by reducing occupational stress. The analysis concludes by underscoring the complex challenges nurses face and the potential of aromatherapy practices to mitigate these challenges.

The Effect of Aromatherapy on
Anxiety Experienced by Hospital
Nurses
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Introduction
The following presentation attempts a critique on the article composed
by Donaldson et al. (2017) entitled “The Effect of Aromatherapy on
Anxiety Experienced by Hospital Nurses”

Purpose
The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of the
exposure to aromatherapy on the nurses who have been performing
their nursing duties at the various hospitals. The article suggests that
the nurses have been demonstrating the symptoms that are majorly
related to the increase in the anxiety among the concerned nurses and
the other healthcare staff. The authors clarify the purpose of the
research in a very lucid manner at the onset of the paper.

Sample
The article was composed on the basis of the responses that were
collected from the nurses who have been serving at a 34-bed
orthopedic surgical trauma unit of a Level II trauma center located at
southern California (Donaldson et al., 2017). The anxiety was measured
for a period of 2 weeks. The anxiety was measured with the help of the
State Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI Y-1) that consisted of a
questionnaire of nearly 20 questions (Donaldson et al., 2017). The
study was conducted with the help of the responses that were
collected from 44 nurses (Donaldson et al., 2017).

Interventions
The intervention that was implemented for this study refer to the use
of the aromatherapy in the reduction of the anxiety scores that were
demonstrated by the nurses who have been serving at the 34-bed
orthopedic surgical trauma unit of a Level II trauma center located at
southern California (Donaldson et al., 2017). The study design was
maintained in a proper manner in order to gain the proper outcomes
from the study. The study however failed to address the proper
outcome as was aimed at by the researchers.

Analysis
The data that was collected was
analyzed with the help of the SPSS
tool for the statistical analysis of
the data. The concerned data was
analyzed with the help of the t-
tests and the analysis of the
variances.

Quantitative Study
The study can be stated to be a
quantitative study due to the fact
that the study was composed
with the help of the primary data
from the nurses who had taken
part in the survey and provided
their responses to the
questionnaire of the State Trait
Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI Y-
1) (Donaldson et al., 2017). The
inclusion of the primary data
from the participants of the
experiment helped in recognizing
the study as a quantitative study.

Previous Studies
The study demonstrates the use of an extensive review of the existing
literature that is present on the exposure of the nurses to a greater
amount of stress as is observed in the various trauma care situations.

Considerations and Limitations
The major limitation that existed in the given study refers to the lack of
the control group in the design of the study. There had been a
difference in the number of the nurses who had undertaken the pre-
test as well as the post-test questionnaires.

Implications and
Recommendations
The investigation on the interventions of stress reduction among
orthopedic nurses is recommended. The article encouraged the use of
aromatherapy for the reduction of occupational stress among the
nurses.

Conclusion
The research portrays a dynamic and complex challenge which affects
the attainment of their job satisfaction as well which might be reduced
with the help of the aromatherapy practices.

Reference
Donaldson, J., Ingrao, C., Drake, D., & Ocampo, E. (2017). The effect
of aromatherapy on anxiety experienced by hospital
nurses. Medsurg Nursing, 26(3), 201.