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.
Introduction:Patients seeking treatment for complex conditions require coordinated care from interprofessional clinicians. Collaborative engagement in an interprofessional community of practice is crucial to the collective competence of a team and the provision of high-quality, safe health care leading to improved patient outcomes. The objective of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to describe interprofessional communication, coordination, and collaboration of participants in an integrated practice unit that was structured to include weekly case conferences as part of routine practice.Methods:Data were collected from October 2019 to February 2020. Web-based surveys were administered to a convenience sample that included 33 questions and followed the CHERRIES checklist for reporting results. Items focused on team knowledge, impact on patient care, and communication, and conference focus and effectiveness. Descriptive and survey item analysis included frequency, percentage, means and standard deviation, Chi-square, and Pearson correlation analysis. Patient outcome data were collected via a Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale and were analyzed using a paired sample t test.Results:Survey respondents (n = 161) included clinicians and administrative staff. Results demonstrated that interprofessional case conferences improved the collective competence of the team, including team knowledge and communication. Participants viewed case conferences as a means to enhance care delivery quality, value, safety, and equity. In the study period, there was also a statistically significant improvement between the patient's first follow-up and last visits.Conclusion:Survey respondents indicated that case conferences were an effective means to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care through interprofessional collaboration and education.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.