Canadian Health&Care; Mall

Discussion In the past two decades, PAs have functioned under supervision at newly developed satellite health centers in rural areas of the nation. These health providers were accepted by the physicians and their patients, and their performance was good. Studies comparing their aptitude to that of medical students showed minimal if any differences. In addition to their traditional role in primary care, PAs now are being utilized in place of house officers in surgical, medical, pediatric and emergency room departments. For example, in 1981, Perry et al reported that out of 522 surgical departments surveyed, 165 employed at least one PA. Thirty-three percent of department chairs felt that PAs had improved surgical patient care. In this study, we demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing non-physician health care providers for the delivery of medical care in an intensive care setting. Specifically, we have shown that the concept is acceptable to the medical and nursing establishment and that care of critically ill patients will not be compromised. Successful utilization of PAs in an intensive care setting, however, depends on a number of factors. First, highly qualified individuals should be sought. In this study, we utilized only PAs with formal university-based education and college degrees.