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Published on: February 19, 2021

MICU care delivered by PAs versus residents: do PAs measure up?

Eyad Kawar1, Bruno DiGiovine

  • 1Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

JAAPA : Official Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants
|January 26, 2011
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Physician assistant-run medical intensive care units (MICUs) show comparable patient outcomes to resident-run units. This study found no significant differences in mortality or length of stay between PA-run and resident-run MICUs.

Area of Science:

  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Healthcare Quality
  • Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

  • Limited data exists on physician assistant (PA) performance in medical intensive care units (MICUs).
  • Understanding PA roles is crucial for optimizing critical care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare clinical outcomes between patients in a resident-run MICU and a PA-run MICU.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of PA-led critical care teams.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 5,346 MICU patients (2004-2007).
  • Comparison between a resident-run MICU (3,971 patients) and a PA-run MICU (1,375 patients).
  • Propensity score matching was used to control for patient characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Groups had similar baseline characteristics, with some differences in renal insufficiency and cerebrovascular accidents.
  • Hospital length of stay was comparable (median 9 days PA-run vs. 8 days resident-run).
  • No significant differences observed in hospital mortality, ICU mortality, or 28-day survival between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • PA-run MICUs demonstrate similar clinical outcomes compared to traditional resident-run MICUs.
  • These findings support the integration of PAs in critical care settings.
  • PA involvement does not negatively impact patient outcomes in the MICU.

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