What question should the nurse ask when assessing a patient for vaginal candidiasis?

The most relevant question to ask when assessing a patient for vaginal candidiasis is whether they have been on antibiotics recently. Antibiotics can disrupt the normal vaginal flora, allowing Candida species to overgrow and lead to an infection. This is particularly important because candidiasis often occurs as a secondary infection following antibiotic use, which can diminish the populations of beneficial bacteria that help to maintain a balanced environment in the vagina.

While asking about sugar consumption, pregnancy, or a history of sexually transmitted infections can provide useful context for the patient's overall health and risk factors, they do not directly correlate as strongly with the risk of developing candidiasis as recent antibiotic usage does. Therefore, the focus should be on recent antibiotic treatment as a significant factor in the development of vaginal candidiasis.