JAAPA : official journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants
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An emergency department observation unit (EDOU) opened in April 2006 staffed by physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). This study describes the complexity and outcomes of the EDOU patients to determine the effectiveness of staffing by PAs. ⋯ PAs effectively cared for patients of moderate complexity in the two largest groups of utilizers of the EDOU.
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This study evaluates emergency physicians' perceptions of the malpractice risk posed by utilization of physician assistants (PAs) in emergency departments (EDs) in 2004 and again in 2009. ⋯ As physicians gain clinical experience with PAs, their perceived risk of malpractice tends to decrease. These results may have implications for the utilization of PAs, particularly as EDs become more utilized for noncritical situations.