Utilization of supervised physician's assistants in emergency room coverage in a small rural community hospital

A study has been made of an initial 2-year experience in a 90-bed rural community hospital where emergency room primary coverage has been provided by Physician's Assistants under supervision of specialists in the field of general surgery, pediatrics, and internal medicine. Emphasis has been placed on a rigidly supervised program as well as physician supervision and availability on a patient-call basis. This supervision may take the form of immediate availability of the physician to the emergency room, telephone consultation or, in minor illnesses and injuries, continued review of the record of each individual patient seen by the Physician's Assistant. A review of the most recent 2-month ER-OPD experience showed that in a small rural hospital, a majority (62%) of the patients had an illness or injury of a minor, nonserious degree which could be handled primarily by a Physician's Assistant. This has led to emergency room care which has been judged by the patients, the emergency-room nurses, and the supervising physicians to be more efficient and prompt than had been previously provided, yet not reduced in quality. The program described was developed by physicians active in private practice working with the Physician's Assistants and RN's in the ER-OPD. The physicians' time spent in teaching, supervision and development of written policy was great, and, at times, threatened the continuation of the program. A fulltime physician in the hospital could better initiate the program of teaching, supervision, formulating written procedures, and establishing policies with different specialist.