Evidence-Based Nursing Research: Curcuminoid Treatment Report

This report provides an analysis of a quantitative research article titled “Curcuminoid treatment for knee osteoarthritis: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial” by Panahi et al. (2014). The study, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, investigated the clinical efficacy of curcuminoids in treating knee osteoarthritis (OA). The methodology involved a six-week trial with participants randomly assigned to either a curcuminoid or placebo group, with outcomes measured using WOMAC, VAS, and LPFI scores. The study adhered to ethical guidelines and found that the curcuminoid group showed statistically significant reductions in pain and improved function compared to the placebo group. The report highlights the study's findings, limitations, and implications for evidence-based nursing practice, emphasizing the potential of curcuminoids in managing OA symptoms while also suggesting a need for further research, particularly in the context of larger-scale trials and bioavailability enhancements. The report also includes references to key research methodologies.

1Running head: NURSING
Evidence Based Nursing Research
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Introduction
Research in nursing is imperative to demonstrate evidence-based practice that
enhances the quality of care provided. Nurses are required to search for and study scholarly
research literature (Parahoo, 2014). The present paper would describe the research elements
of a quantitative research article “Curcuminoid treatment for knee osteoarthritis: A
randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial” whose author is Panahi et al. (2014).
Quantitative research
According to Houser (2016) quantitative research defined as the systematic pragmatic
study of observable phenomena through mathematical, statistical or computational methods.
The aim of such research is development and employment of mathematical theories, models
and hypothesis related to the phenomena being studied. The key aspect of this research is the
method of measurement as it develops the association between observation of the researchers
and the mathematical expression of quantitative relationships.
Methodology
The research aimed at understanding the clinical efficacy of curcuminoids for
treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) in patients suffering from this condition. The study was a
pilot randomised double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group trial. The participants of the
study suffered from OA in their knee and were refered to the Baqiyatallah University Clinic
(Tehran, Iran) during the years 2011–2012. The participants had to be less than 80 years old,
had to have degenerative primary knee OA whose severity was mild-to-moderate and had to
have bilateral OA. Those having an allergy to herbal medicines or curcuminoids were
excluded from the study. In addition, those who were to undergo surgical joint replacement or
surgical treatment were not considered. Further, individuals with OA secondary to

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rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory disorders, trauma and haemophilia were not considered
for participation. Mal-absorption disorder, psychological disorders, intra-articular injections
during the preceding three months and presence of liver, renal and kidney failure also became
exclusion criteria. Random allocation of patients to either curcuminoid (n=27) or placebo
(n=26) was done that continued for six weeks. Administration of the medication was done
through capsules of 500mg that were similar to the capsules of placebo.randomisation was
done alternately with a 1:1 ratio. Patients were allowed to have analgesic at the time of
intolerable pain. Regular adherence to medication consumption was looked into.
The primary measurement was done with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The severity of pain was assessed through VAS rating scale.
Lequesne’s pain functional index (LPFI) was also used. Statistical analysis was done with
SPSS software v.16. Comparison of baseline versus end-trial values for each parameter was
done with the help paired samples t-test. Independent t-test was done to carry out the
comparison of the changes between the study groups for the intervention. A two-sided p-
value of < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.
Ethics
Since the study included human participants, ethical concerns remained regarding this
aspect. The clinical trial was undertaken by following the ethical considerations of the
‘Declaration of Helsinki’ and successive modifications (Nuremburg protocol). Ethics
committee at the Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran) was responsible
for approving the protocol. The protocol and the random placebo prescription was explained
in details to the participants. The paticipants had to give written informed consent before they
were engaged in the study.

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Findings
A total of 40 participants completed the study, of which 19 were in intervention
group and rest in placebo group. WOMAC scores indicated a statistically significant
reduction in the global (p < 0.001) and subscale scores (p < 0.001) in the intervention group.
However, there were no changes in the scales for the placebo group (p>.05). Coming to the
LPFI and VAS scores, significant reductions were observed in the curcuminoids group (p <
0.001 for both measures). There was an abscene of statistically significant change occurred in
the control group (p > 0.05). there were no adverse effects reported from the study.
The results achieved from the study indicated the efficiency of curcuminoids in
reducing the symptoms of OA. The possible mechanism of effects of curcuminoids as a
protection agent is the anti-inflammatory effects of the phytopharmaceutical. The present
study is an extension of the previous studies that explored the effectiveness of dietary
supplementation with curcuminoids as a noteworthy agent for relieving the symptoms of OA
and improving the process of patient care. Nevertheless, care is to be taken in the
generalizing the available results. There is a need for further research for unveiling if
curcuminoids hold potential to bring modifications in OA with the help of analgesic-
independent mechanisms. If the safety of the application of curcuminoids is established and
there is a ready availability of different bioavailability-enhanced preparations of the same,
larger-scale phase III trials can be undertaken in the future for exploring whether
curcuminoids can be considered as an effective element of a therapeutic regimen of patients
with knee OA.

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References
Houser, J. (2016). Nursing research: Reading, using and creating evidence. Jones & Bartlett
Learning.
Panahi, Y., Rahimnia, A. R., Sharafi, M., Alishiri, G., Saburi, A., & Sahebkar, A. (2014).
Curcuminoid treatment for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized double‐blind placebo‐
controlled trial. Phytotherapy research, 28(11), 1625-1631.
Parahoo, K. (2014). Nursing research: principles, process and issues. Palgrave Macmillan.