ArticlePloS one2017
The impact of the implementation of physician assistants in inpatient care: A multicenter matched-controlled study.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01835444 (Worthy Assistants), which is not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Worthy Assistants: Does Substituting Hospital Ward Care From Medical Residents to Physician Assistants Result in Cost Savings?
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Towards a Quality Care Climate Perspective: A Systematic Review of Associations Among Patient Experience, Patient Outcomes, and Organisational Climate Factors in Hospitals.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) on the productivity, quality of care, patient and healthcare workforce satisfaction, and budget implications in various healthcare settings: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of physician assistants on quality of care: rapid review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Pooled it
- The cost-effectiveness of physician assistants/associates: A systematic review of international evidence.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Contribution of physician assistants/associates to secondary care: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2018Pooled it
- Delivering high-quality multiple sclerosis care in Germany: challenges and regional models.Neurological research and practice · 2026Review
- Physician Assistants in Australia. Function and Friction in Australian Healthcare: An Integrative Review.The Australian journal of rural health · 2026Review
- The Association Between Number of Hospital Advanced Practice Providers and Surgical Morbidity.Cancer medicine · 2026Article
- Developing and integrating physician assistants/associates in UK hospital teams: a realist review of lessons from international experiences.BMC medicine · 2025Review
- Medical Student Attitudes Toward Advanced Practice Provider Independence Legislation.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM · 2025Article
- The influence of government policies on the nurse practitioner and physician assistant workforce in the Netherlands, 2000-2022: a multimethod approach study.BMC health services research · 2023Review
- Fellow Efficiency During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Improves Over Time, Yet Is Less Than Experienced Physician Assistant But With No Significant Difference in Patient-Reported Outcomes.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- The role of the physician associate: an overview.Irish journal of medical science · 2022Review
- Physician associates advance patient safety.Future healthcare journal · 2021Article
- How we adapted the T&O inpatient service during the COVID-19 pandemic with physician associates to support the orthopaedic team.Future healthcare journal · 2021Article
- Article
- Understanding health professional role integration in complex adaptive systems: a multiple-case study of physician assistants in Ontario, Canada.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- Comparison of the Outcome of Patient Management with Physician Extenders Only and with both Residents and Extenders.Cureus · 2020Article
- Understanding patients' satisfaction with physician assistant/associate encounters through communication experiences: a qualitative study in acute hospitals in England.BMC health services research · 2019Article
- What is the contribution of physician associates in hospital care in England? A mixed methods, multiple case study.BMJ open · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedical care for admitted patients in hospitals is increasingly reallocated to physician assistants (PAs). There is limited evidence about the consequences for the quality and safety of care. This study aimed to determine the effects of substitution of inpatient care from medical doctors (MDs) to PAs on patients' length of stay (LOS), quality and safety of care, and patient experiences with the provided care.
methodsIn a multicenter matched-controlled study, the traditional model in which only MDs are employed for inpatient care (MD model) was compared with a mixed model in which besides MDs also PAs are employed (PA/MD model). Thirty-four wards were recruited across the Netherlands. Patients were followed from admission till one month after discharge. Primary outcome measure was patients' LOS. Secondary outcomes concerned eleven indicators for quality and safety of inpatient care and patients' experiences with the provided care.
resultsData on 2,307 patients from 34 hospital wards was available. The involvement of PAs was not significantly associated with LOS (β 1.20, 95%CI 0.99-1.40, p = .062). None of the indicators for quality and safety of care were different between study arms. However, the involvement of PAs was associated with better experiences of patients (β 0.49, 95% CI 0.22-0.76, p = .001).
conclusionsThis study did not find differences regarding LOS and quality of care between wards on which PAs, in collaboration with MDs, provided medical care for the admitted patients, and wards on which only MDs provided medical care. Employing PAs seems to be safe and seems to lead to better patient experiences.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01835444.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.