Extending the physician's reach: Physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and trauma technologists

Abstract Emergency departments (EDs) are facing dramatic increases in patient volumes; they are under increasing pressure to improve patient flow while maintaining good clinical outcomes and a customer service focus. The use of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and trauma technologists can effectively extend the reach of the ED attending Patient satisfaction with these providers of care has been excellent. In the few studies in which clinical outcomes have been investigated, outcomes have been comparable with or better than those of physicians. The future will see an expanded role for nonphysicians in the ED setting and research that shows their clinical effectiveness, productivity, and cost-effectiveness.