RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Can physician assistants be effective in the UK?
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 344
OP 348
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.5-4-344
VO 5
IS 4
A1 Antony Stewart
A1 Rachel Catanzaro
YR 2005
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/5/4/344.abstract
AB The National Health Sevice (NHS) faces a serious shortage of medical staff. One solution is to introduce US-style physician assistants (PAs) who train for around two years following previous clinical work or a first degree, and perform duties similar to junior doctors. This paper reviews the history and role of PAs, the quality of their work and their likely impact in the UK. A variety of sources were searched to identify suitable studies. The use of PAs in the UK appears to be an acceptable model that could eventually reduce the current skill shortage and provide high quality patient care. Twelve US-sourced PAs currently work in Sandwell, West Midlands. A recent report suggests they have made a substantial contribution to primary care and have improved patient access. For PAs to be successful in the UK, they must be highly regarded practitioners. High quality educational courses must be established to ensure their credibility.