Nurse Led Aromatherapy

Nurse Led Aromatherapy

The goal of this trial is to see if aromatherapy in addition to pain medication, will help manage pain in pediatric burn patients during their first burn dressing change. Participants aged 2 months to 7 years old will be randomly assigned to usual care (pain medication only) or to receive aromatherapy in addition to pain medication prior to their first burn dressing change. The main question it aims to answer is:

-Does aromatherapy plus pain medication decrease pain more than pain medication alone for young children receiving their first burn dressing change?

All participants will receive the standard pain medications and have their pain assessed on medication administration (prior to aromatherapy for the intervention group), prior to dressing change (after aromatherapy for the intervention group), and 15 minutes after the dressing change is complete.

Once the final pain assessment is complete, there is no more information needed from participants for the purposes of the study. All participants will continue to follow up in the clinic for the remaining dressing changes as needed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Seen in outpatient burn center
• Burns not covering more than 7.5% of body surface area
• First burn dressing change
• Second degree burns
• Scalding, flame, or contact burns

Exclusion Criteria:

• Allergy/hypersensitivity to essential oils, or any components of the aromatherapy formula

• Airway/hypersensitivity to fragrances, paint fumes, or turpentine

• Respiratory conditions (e.g. asthma, reactive airway disease, recent wheezing)

• Inhalation injury

  1. Thermal injury: Caused by direct thermal damage which affects upper airways resulting in edema, stridor and upper airway obstruction
  2. Chemical injury to airways and lung parenchyma from products of combustion
  3. Systemic poisoning from carbon monoxide and/or cyanide

• Surgery for burn

• Infection of burn

• Burns of the face

• Burns requiring Acticoat dressing

• Delayed burns (those that have been previously treated outside of the hospital, but have not healed and require further treatment)