Effectiveness of topical oils used in the prevention of pressure injury incidence and development among patients: a scoping review

INTRODUCTION: The high incidence of pressure ulcers, particularly among patients with impaired mobility, necessitates implementing preventive measures. In addition to risk factor management, complementary medicine modalities are effective. Consequently, a scoping review was designed and conducted to assess the effectiveness of herbal oils in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers. METHOD: A five-step process outlined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) guided this scoping review. This scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Five electronic databases were searched from their respective inception dates through February 6, 2025, to identify relevant studies. Additionally, an update was performed for searches using the same search strings on 1 January 2026. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL were among the searched databases. Two authors independently performed study selection, risk-of-bias assessments, and data extraction. RESULTS: The review comprised 21 studies that examined a cohort of 3028 patients. Olive oil was used as an intervention in 17 studies. Other studies employed sweet almond, coconut, fish, and henna oil as interventions. Olive oil proved more effective than other treatments. Olive oil demonstrated efficacy comparable to hyperoxigenated fatty acids (HOFA) in preventing both the onset and worsening of pressure ulcers. The findings require further investigation to reach a conclusive result. Additional research is needed to validate the findings regarding other herbal oils. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the use of herbal oils, particularly olive oil, can be beneficial. However, most studies focused on olive oil; study quality varied, evidence for other oils was limited or inconsistent, and further research is needed to confirm efficacy and assess potential side effects.