Pain is one of the most common medical issues for patients. Lack of pain relief does not only lead to physical imbalance but also affects the daily life, sleep, mood, and quality of life of patients, which is detrimental to patient recovery [1]. Pain management is divided into two categories, drug treatment and non-drug treatment. Many studies have listed non-drug pain countermeasures as necessary and can reduce the dosage of painkillers and improve patients’ anxiety and depression to achieve patient-centered holistic pain care [2]. Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils to prevent and treat diseases through the uptake of these oils via the olfactory organs or skin. Through massage, bathing, inhalation, spraying, and other methods, essential oils enter the human body to generate positive emotions and activate the inborn self-healing capacity of humans, thereby relieving mental stress and improving physical health [3]. Many studies have indicated that aromatherapy could be combined with traditional therapy in pain treatment. Aromatherapy is suitable for various types of pain, such as pain from obstetric, gynecological, musculoskeletal, and neurological diseases and from surgery [4–7]. In aromatherapy, appropriate essential oils are often chosen for different causes of pain and are combined with massage for relaxation, their pleasant smell can also help relieve chronic pain [8]. Aromatherapy has been shown to be applicable in medical care. To integrate aromatherapy into nursing practice, its knowledge and application must be incorporated into nursing education for its safe application in clinical practice. However, aromatherapy-related courses have not been universal in nursing schools in Taiwan, with only the introduction of aromatherapy included in the section of pain care assessment and management [9]. Additionally, the teaching and training of pain management for nursing personnel in the past were mostly one-way teaching with teachers as the center and with little attention paid to its implementation in and combination with clinical cases. Nursing personnel had only a basic understanding of aromatherapy and did not know how to perform it.
The concept of flipped teaching originated in the United States [10]. In flipped teaching, students read the teaching materials provided by the instructors before a class and write down key points or questions. The classroom is changed from the traditional one-way teaching to student-centered two-way learning activities such as discussions, debates, group discussions, and case reports. The instructors motivate the students, answer questions, clarify confusions, etc. in the classroom to help students establish correct concepts, stimulate thinking, guide them in problem-solving, and encourage students in knowledge application. The flipped learning is an opportunity for increased contact time between faculty and students. Learners clarify and apply previous learning, connect this learning to clinical case scenarios, and apply classroom teachings to their work in the clinical setting. This teaching method is consistent with the requirements for clinical nurses [10–12]. Many domestic and foreign studies have applied flipped teaching in nursing education, which includes all nursing fields [13].
There have been many studies on the application of aromatherapy in clinical care, especially in pain management. However, few studies have investigated aromatherapy education for nursing personnel in Taiwan. Only one study investigated the learning outcomes of 2–3-year college students in applying essential oil preparations in aromatherapy for primary dysmenorrhea through problem-based learning curriculum design [14]. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to apply the flipped teaching approach to design teaching and training courses in aromatherapy for nursing personnel and to explore the effectiveness of the method among nursing personnel, which may serve as a reference for nursing schools or medical institutions to plan future teaching and training courses in aromatherapy.