What is curbside consultation for the nurse practitioner?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Clinical practice
• Nursing research

Background:

• Informal curbside consultations (CCs) are frequent in clinical practice.
• Limited evaluation exists for CCs specifically among nurse practitioners (NPs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand NP perceptions of the curbside consultation process.
• To explore the context and utility of CCs in NP practice.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive design utilizing inductive content analysis.
• Purposive sampling of 20 NPs in primary and specialty care settings.
• Data organized using Atlas.ti software.

Main Results:

• Identified themes: CC process, benefits, drawbacks, documentation, legal aspects, implicit rules, and patient engagement.
• Lack of consensus on CC definition and distinction from formal consultations.
• NPs perceive CCs favorably as a tool for feedback, learning, collegiality, and collaboration.

Conclusions:

• CCs are a common practice impacting patient care at the point of service.
• NPs acknowledge CC limitations but view them as beneficial for professional growth.
• Further research into the context of CCs among NPs is essential due to their significant impact.