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Background and PurposeCurbside consultation (CC), defined as pursuing information or recommendation regarding patient care, without request for formal consultation is a favored information source for nurse practitioners (NPs) when making clinical decisions in practice settings. Research and education concerning CC among NPs is lacking. The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of NP perceptions of interpersonal aspects of the CC process to inform NP clinical practice and education.MethodsQualitative descriptive design and inductive content analysis was used. Twenty primary care and specialty care NP were recruited using purposive sampling for conduct of individual interviews.ResultsContent analysis identified themes describing interpersonal components of the CC process. NP practiced in collaboration with physicians in variable roles within primary care and specialty care settings. These collaborations varied dependent upon supervisory relationships with physicians. Additional themes concerned NP professional experience and characteristics of experts desired for CC. These characteristics included NP perceptions of colleague experience and expertise, trust, and interpersonal relationship dynamics.Implications for PracticeCC processes for NPs are multidimensional, including interpersonal themes as components of this communication exchange. Given CC is a highly utilized resource for NPs, further inquiry is critical for understanding of its implications for NP practice, policy, and education internationally.

Purpose Point‐of‐care information needs for nurse practitioners are tremendous. A phenomenon often referred to as curbside consultation (CC) with colleagues is an information source for point‐of‐care clinical decision making. This literature review was conducted to describe: (a) characteristics of CC, (b) consistency of CC definition, and (c) attitudes about CC among health professionals using this information source for point‐of‐care clinical decision making. Methods This literature review includes research conducted from 1980 to 2016 concerning CC among health professionals. Data bases including PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Business Source, and Cochrane Library were searched resulting in 15 articles for inclusion in this review. Fink's recommendations were used to assess study bias risk. Conclusions Only studies including physician samples met inclusion criteria. These studies, primarily from consultant perspectives, were conducted in varied settings and were considered highly valuable. CC s averaging 9.4 min were defined as informal advice and information‐seeking without formal consultation. Implications for practice A paucity of information exists concerning CC use among nurse practitioners. An assessment of CC processes among nurse practitioners is indicated to inform education and practice for research dissemination ultimately promoting patient care quality.

Objective: The study purpose was to determine the prevalence of candida-positive vulvovaginal genital cultures among women with vulvodynia. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of data collected from 2017 to 2020. Eligible patients receiving care from an academic women's health practice in central Texas that employed value-based care pathways and who had a genital culture diagnostic test collected were included. Data were extracted from the electronic health record. Descriptive statistics, t -tests, and Fisher's exact test were used to complete the data analysis. Results: A total of 242 women met inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Of these, 64 (26.4%) had been diagnosed with vulvodynia and 178 (73.6%) had not. Of the 242 women, nearly one-third had confirmed yeast infections (29%) and 27 women (11%) met pathway criteria for polymerase chain reaction testing. There was no difference in the number of women with confirmed yeast infections during the study period among patients with or without a diagnosis of vulvodynia (75% vs. 70%, p = 0.718). Notably, among participants with vulvodynia, body mass index (BMI) was lower, and anxiety was more likely ( t = 2.65, df = 120, p = 0.009; 78% vs. 55%, p = 0.002). Conclusions: The findings in this study showed no association between vulvodynia and yeast infection, a divergence from prior studies. In addition, vulvodynia was associated with low BMI and anxiety. Further research is needed to better understand the association between vulvovaginal candida infections and vulvodynia. Including women within and across more diverse races and ethnicities would improve generalizability.

Background: Curbside or informal consultations between clinicians regarding patient care occur frequently in clinical practice. Evaluation of curbside consultation (CC) among nurse practitioners (NPs) is limited. Purpose: To develop an understanding of NP perceptions of the CC process. Methodological orientation: A qualitative descriptive design was used to assess the context of CCs among NPs. Inductive content analysis was conducted, and Atlas.ti was used to organize the data. Sample: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 NPs within primary care and specialty settings. Conclusions: Themes describing CC included the description of the CC process, advantages and disadvantages, documentation, legal liability, unspoken rules, and patient-centered engagement. There was a lack of consensus on the boundaries of the CC definition including difficulty in distinguishing a CC from a formal consultation. Generally, the NP acknowledges limitations and views the CC favorably as a helpful tool for receiving practical feedback and expanding learning, collegiality, and collaboration. Implications for practice: Findings provide insight regarding the common practice of CC in management of patients at the point of care, what it means to the NP, and a description of the breadth of the CC use. Given its potentially substantial impact on patient care, further assessment of the context of CC among NPs is obligatory.