The Use of Essential Oils in Pediatric Care: An Integrative Review - Abstract
Problem: It is quite common the appearance of disorders of various natures in children and its adequate management its necessary to prevent worsening and improve quality
of life. Complementary therapies are an available and growing resource to assist in a nurse setting, such as aromatherapy which can be an excellent tool within clinical practice and
assist in the treatment of many childhood conditions. This review aimed to gather evidence of studies that used essential oils as treatment, in children up to 12 years old, and the
outcomes observed by them.
Eligibility criteria: Clinical trials or observational studies that evaluated the use of essential oils on the treatment of childhood conditions published till April of 2021, in English,
Portuguese, Spanish, Italian or French. The data bases NDLTD, Brazilian digital library of theses and dissertations (BDLTD), CAPES Repository, BIREME, The Directory of Open Access
Journals (DOAJ), EMBASE, and Pubmed were searched for studies.
Sample: 22 studies were included in this review.
Results: Pain and anxiety are the most studied conditions, and Lavender is the most used essential oil on the studies included. It is inferred from the studies that aromatherapy is
a low-cost and easy-to-apply method, which can be applied with some safety throughout childhood.
Conclusion: It is concluded that Aromatherapy can be used within pediatric care by nurses and other health professionals, but it is important to carry out more studies that also
check for side effects and standardize effective and safe doses, to allow the professionals to make a safe prescription. When performed, it is important that the studies’ methodology
is adequate and the scientific name of essential oils, as well as their concentrations and chemical profile are specified.
Implications: Aromatherapy as care in childhood has been adopted by the multidisciplinary team and parents/guardians, demonstrating the importance of physical and mental
well-being in this age group. Given its wide use in childhood disorders, as well as multiple application routes, ease of use and good cost-effectiveness, new studies are essential for
individual or collective implementation for the benefit of children, family members and professionals involved in the care.