248. The Effects of Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Presenter(s)

Vanessa Trefethen , Moriah Sims , Devin Willmarth, Rebecca Gunter

Abstract or Description

Background: Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy experience unpleasant symptoms, and are prone to develop sleep problems. Sleep quality plays a role in recovery and non-pharmacological interventions such as aromatherapy has been proposed to ease poor sleep quality. Purpose: The EBP project aims to review and synthesize the current literature on the relationship between aromatherapy and sleep quality in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The PICO question was: In adult patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment, how does the use of aromatherapy compared to patients with no aromatherapy affect sleep quality during chemotherapy treatment. Methods: Literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus databases. Common search terms were: “aromatherapy,” “cancer,” and “sleep". Inclusion criteria were quantitative research articles published between 2009 to 2019. Exclusion criteria were patients below 18 years of age and who were not on chemotherapy. Eight studies were selected. Results: Aromatherapy consisted of lavender, orange, peppermint and other infused essential oils. Five studies showed a significant relationship between aromatherapy use and better sleep quality. Three studies found no relationship. Conclusion: Aromatherapy may help cancer patients on chemotherapy with poor sleep quality. However, we recommend its use with caution due to the mixed evidence in the literature.