Although about half of U.S. consumers prefer physicians for primary health care, patients are willing to be treated by physician assistants and nurse practitioners to secure timely access to care, says a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges. About 60% of study respondents preferred seeing a physician assistant or nurse practitioner to address a worsening cough if they could be seen the same day. Twenty-five percent preferred an extra day's wait to see a physician, according to the study published in the June edition of the journal Health Affairs.
