Use of Women's Health Care Specialists in a women's clinic.
Women's Health Care Specialists (WHCS), with physician supervision, provide most of the ambulatory obstetric and gynecologic care at a major urban teaching hospital. WHCS see 75% of all patients without physician interaction. The performance of WHCS was compared to that of the previous clinic staff, which was composed of residents in training. WHCS identified surgical candidates at rates equal to those of previous resident staff. Visual and palpable gynecologic malignancies were identified at rates significantly greater than expected from national population-based data (P less than 0.06). Patient return for follow-up of Papanicolaou smear abnormalities increased significantly, from 43% to 58% (P less than 0.01). In this model, physician utilization is enhanced and residents in training benefit. WHCS, with physician backup, are able to provide ambulatory obstetric and gynecologic care comparable and in some ways superior to the previous resident service.
D005260:Female; D006748:Hospital Departments; D006801:Humans; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014861:Washington; D000078329:Workforce