A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Aromatherapy on Reducing the Duration of Hospitalization of Preterm Infants

Background: Advances in medical science and nursing care today have led to the survival of preterm infants. Therefore, it is important to address methods to reduce the duration of hospitalization of preterm infants. Aim of the systematic review on the efficacy of aromatherapy on reducing the duration of hospitalization of preterm infants. Materials and Methods: Systemic search of online databases (Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, Cochrane, International Registry Platform for ongoing trials and clinical trails.gov, and EMBASE complete for randomized control trial and non-randomized prospective or retrospective clinical studies published with no time limit till  Feb 2019. Study selection was done by two reviewers. Results: Five studies were included into systematic review. In the first study, 50 infants were divided into odorless and odor-stimulated (by anise or cinnamon) groups. The mean duration of discharge in the olfactory stimulation group was 3.4 days earlier than the odorless group (p=0.12). In the second study, the time spent in the hospital was significantly shorter in the milk-odor (43 days) than control group (55.5 days). In the second study, length of stay in hospital was shorter in premature infants in neonatal intensive care units exposing impregnated pad than control in the fourth study, the result of their study showed olfactory stimulation with vanilla but not rose decreased length of stay in hospital than control group. In the last study, duration of hospitalization was shorter in the Odor of breast milk group in comparison with control group. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the olfactory stimulation of preterm infants can be effective in reducing the duration of hospitalization.