Paired analysis of ED efficiency for low-acuity children treated by PAs and pediatricians.

Abstract

To determine if there was a clinically important difference (15 minutes or more) in length of stay (LOS) for low-acuity pediatric ED patients treated by PAs compared with those treated by pediatricians. Between July 2017 and February 2020, shifts were identified that had shared PA and pediatrician staffing in the low-acuity care area for a large, urban ED. LOS was collected for every patient during the 6 hours of overlap for each shift. Using a paired analysis, we calculated the difference in mean LOS for these shifts. Mean shift LOS for children seen by PAs (160.1 minutes, SD: 48.6) was 10.1 minutes longer (95% CI: 6.1, 14.1) than mean shift LOS for children seen by pediatricians (150 minutes, SD: 47.3). No clinically important difference in LOS was found for low-acuity children treated by PAs compared with those treated by pediatricians in a large, urban ED.