Evidence-based approaches to reducing in-patient stress – Part 2: Synthetic pheromone preparations

Abstract

This article is the second of three that examine why hospitalisation is stressful, and why and how to reduce that stress. In it, I review the evidence for using synthetic pheromone preparations to relieve in-patient stress. I conclude that there is no robust, published evidence to support such use, and that environmental enrichment is a more logical approach.