Aromatherapy of Patients with Chronic Diseases

만성 질환자의 건강문제와 아로마 요법

In this paper, we checked health problems of outpatients who suffered from cancer, apoplexy, and arthritis. After accessing each patients condition, in order to alleviate their sufferings, we introduced several methods of aroma therapy as a holistic approach to these health problems. Aromatherapy, which can be defined as a nature-friendly complementary / alternative method, has its great merit in its easy way of treatment by the family member of patient or patient himself. Recently, it was scientifically proved that aroma therapy has various curative effects. The easiness of applying aroma therapy is full of suggestions concerned with the future of nursing science. Recently, in the domain of home care nursing, there happened a fundamental change in its structure: a change from the supplier/professional-centered to the consumer/patient-centered one. With this change, home care nursing as a cherished desire of nursing science obtained its legal ground in the established medical programs and, in the same context, patients came to have the chance to receive demanded medical services in their home without going through complicated hospital admission procedures. Considering the future status of home care nursing as a major contributor in the consumer-centered structure of medical health service, aroma therapy as a complementary/alternative method is expected to contribute not only to establishing more effective structure of health service supply but also to resolving chronic health problem of outpatients.