Peppermint Aromatherapy to Reduce Nausea and Vomiting in Post-Operative Patients: A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37287/ijghr.v8i4.2057Keywords:
nausea and vomiting, peppermint aromatherapy, post-operative careAbstract
Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common complications after surgery and can slow the recovery process and increase the patient's clinical burden. This review aims to synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of peppermint aromatherapy in reducing nausea and vomiting in postoperative patients. This study used a systematic literature review design with the PRISMA approach. Literature searches were conducted through PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases in the period 2015–2025 with the keywords peppermint aromatherapy and nausea and vomiting and postoperative care. From the search results based on keywords, 123 articles were obtained, then selected articles were selected using PICOS criteria and limited to randomized controlled trial designs, as many as eight articles that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed qualitatively. All studies showed that peppermint aromatherapy through inhalation methods was able to reduce the intensity and frequency of nausea and vomiting compared to the control group, standard care, or placebo. Peppermint aromatherapy is effective as a non-pharmacological intervention in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting and has the potential to be used as a safe and practical complementary therapy in nursing practice.
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