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Table 7 Scribe and Physician Assistant interventions and intervention characteristics

From: Strategies to measure and improve emergency department performance: a scoping review

Intervention

Intervention Characteristics

Scribe

Scribes are non-licensed health care team members that follow ED doctors during patient care to concurrently document patient history, physical examination, and procedures in an accurate manner as it is being done by the ED doctor [74, 76]. Scribes keep track of laboratory findings and radiological studies, prompt doctors to review test results, assist with referrals, and record other pertinent information [74, 76].

Physician Assistant

Physician Assistants are fully licensed medical practitioners who are trained to provide care under the direction and supervision of a doctor [75]. While the doctor is ultimately responsible for the patient and established the degree of supervision, physician assistants have autonomy in medical decision making [75]. Typical duties include history taking, physical examination, evaluating laboratory data, instituting treatment, performing procedures screening ED patients with routine problems, admitting certain patients and communicating with consultant services [75].