PA clinic for gestational diabetes: An observational study.

OBJECTIVES

Gestational diabetes is a common complication of pregnancy. Its management requires diabetes expertise, prompt assessment, and frequent follow-up, all of which increasingly strains already overburdened specialty clinics. We aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of a physician associate (PA)-led gestational diabetes clinic.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing outcomes between a PA-led interdisciplinary team clinic with a physician-led interdisciplinary team clinic.

RESULTS

After adjustment for differences in patient characteristics, maternal and neonatal outcomes were comparable between the clinic models. Initiation of pharmacotherapy was lower in the PA-led clinic group (adjusted odds ratio 0.19; 95% CI, 0.11-0.31), likely due to differences in referral triage process.

CONCLUSIONS

The PA was able to manage half of the gestational diabetes referrals during the study period while maintaining a high level of care.