Physician assistants: employing a new health provider in the South Australian health system.

New health roles and models are needed to address future workforce shortages in Australian health care. A pilot trial of introducing two United States-trained physician assistants (PAs) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, from October 2008 to October 2009, demonstrated difficulties in introducing PAs into the South Australian health system. Unforeseen delays in planning and implementing the trial occurred.

Dental shape match rates in selected and orthodontically treated populations in New York State: a two-dimensional study.

Forensically identifying a suspect's dentition from a bitemark in an open population requires the supposition that every person's dental alignment is different. There have been few studies that have tested this claim. Four hundred and ten lower anterior dentitions from a selected population and 110 lower anterior dentitions from one that was orthodontically treated were measured using geometric morphometric analysis, allowing comparison of arch shape.

Hepatic artery dissection in a 65-year-old woman with acute pancreatitis.

We describe a case of hepatic artery dissection in a 65-year-old woman. This is the 22nd reported case of hepatic artery dissection, and the first associated with mild acute pancreatitis. The incidence of this condition may be increasing with rising rates of intervention affecting the biliary system.

Physician assistants: trialling a new surgical health professional in Australia.

Background: The Australia health workforce productivity Commission Research Report in 2005 identified workforce shortages. One of the recommendations is that new models of health care be established. As a result South Australia is trialling United States trained physician assistants in a pilot program.