“It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis

Background: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalization during the first year of life, but currently no effective treatment exists. The supportive management of bronchiolitis is therefore often associated with frustration by both caregivers and healthcare professionals. We explored nurses’ p...

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Main Authors: Emma Perneger, Fabiola Stollar, Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Patricia Hudelson, Benedikt M. Huber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:Complementary Therapies in Medicine
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229925001116
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author Emma Perneger
Fabiola Stollar
Tido von Schoen-Angerer
Patricia Hudelson
Benedikt M. Huber
author_facet Emma Perneger
Fabiola Stollar
Tido von Schoen-Angerer
Patricia Hudelson
Benedikt M. Huber
author_sort Emma Perneger
collection DOAJ
description Background: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalization during the first year of life, but currently no effective treatment exists. The supportive management of bronchiolitis is therefore often associated with frustration by both caregivers and healthcare professionals. We explored nurses’ perceptions of lavender chest wraps (LCWs) as a complementary approach to routine care. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pediatric nurses from two Swiss hospitals involved in a clinical trial on LCWs for bronchiolitis. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach, aimed at providing a rich summary of participants’ ideas, experiences and opinions. Results: Eighteen nurses were interviewed. They identified positive impacts of LCWs on infants, parents and the therapeutic relationship, in the context of limited conventional care for bronchiolitis. However, site-specific differences raised questions regarding how to effectively integrate LCWs into standard care practices while preserving their identity as a complementary therapy. Nurses identified time constraints, organizational issues and specific training needs as important factors for routine integration of LCWs in hospital settings. Discussion: This study contributes to a better understanding of the potential effects of LCWs on infants, parents and the therapeutic relationship, and highlights the added value of LCWs for supporting minimal handling. Our findings also underline nurses’ role in integrating and delivering complementary medicine interventions in hospital settings, while identifying organizational barriers to successful implementation. Methodologically, this study demonstrates the contribution of qualitative research in the context of RCTs, offering context-specific insights that may aid in interpreting clinical outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-abe6a700e20a4a68b36fb2d809f1cd512025-08-25T04:13:59ZengElsevierComplementary Therapies in Medicine0965-22992025-10-019310323610.1016/j.ctim.2025.103236“It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitisEmma Perneger0Fabiola Stollar1Tido von Schoen-Angerer2Patricia Hudelson3Benedikt M. Huber4Center for Integrative Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, Fribourg, SwitzerlandChildren’s Hospital, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Multidisciplinary Center for Integrative Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, SwitzerlandMultidisciplinary Center for Integrative Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland; Charité Competence Center for Traditional and Integrative Medicine, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, SwitzerlandCenter for Integrative Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, Fribourg, Switzerland; Department of Community Health, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Correspondence to: Center for Integrative Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Fribourg Cantonal Hospital, Chemin des Pensionnats 2-6, Fribourg 1708, Switzerland.Background: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of hospitalization during the first year of life, but currently no effective treatment exists. The supportive management of bronchiolitis is therefore often associated with frustration by both caregivers and healthcare professionals. We explored nurses’ perceptions of lavender chest wraps (LCWs) as a complementary approach to routine care. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pediatric nurses from two Swiss hospitals involved in a clinical trial on LCWs for bronchiolitis. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach, aimed at providing a rich summary of participants’ ideas, experiences and opinions. Results: Eighteen nurses were interviewed. They identified positive impacts of LCWs on infants, parents and the therapeutic relationship, in the context of limited conventional care for bronchiolitis. However, site-specific differences raised questions regarding how to effectively integrate LCWs into standard care practices while preserving their identity as a complementary therapy. Nurses identified time constraints, organizational issues and specific training needs as important factors for routine integration of LCWs in hospital settings. Discussion: This study contributes to a better understanding of the potential effects of LCWs on infants, parents and the therapeutic relationship, and highlights the added value of LCWs for supporting minimal handling. Our findings also underline nurses’ role in integrating and delivering complementary medicine interventions in hospital settings, while identifying organizational barriers to successful implementation. Methodologically, this study demonstrates the contribution of qualitative research in the context of RCTs, offering context-specific insights that may aid in interpreting clinical outcomes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229925001116BronchiolitisIntegrative nursingComplementary medicineIntegrative medicineAnthroposophic medicineLavender chest wraps
spellingShingle Emma Perneger
Fabiola Stollar
Tido von Schoen-Angerer
Patricia Hudelson
Benedikt M. Huber
“It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Bronchiolitis
Integrative nursing
Complementary medicine
Integrative medicine
Anthroposophic medicine
Lavender chest wraps
title “It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
title_full “It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
title_fullStr “It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
title_full_unstemmed “It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
title_short “It’s not just another task”: Pediatric nurses' perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
title_sort it s not just another task pediatric nurses perspectives on using lavender oil chest wraps as complementary treatment for infants with bronchiolitis
topic Bronchiolitis
Integrative nursing
Complementary medicine
Integrative medicine
Anthroposophic medicine
Lavender chest wraps
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229925001116
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