Physician associates need new job title, says review
Briefly

A review asserts that physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) should be labeled as ‘assistants’ to prevent patient misunderstandings. Key recommendations include standardized clothing and roles to clarify their limited circumstances for seeing patients. The Health Secretary initiated this review due to disputes over healthcare roles. Prof Gillian Leng highlighted a lack of clarity since the introduction of PAs and AAs in 2000, contributing to confusion about their responsibilities. Safety concerns primarily focus on diagnosis and treatment decisions, with examples of patients misdiagnosed by PAs.
"Where capacity was limited in local services, gaps in medical posts were sometimes covered by PAs, without taking into account their more limited training or ensuring that supervisors had the necessary understanding of the roles and the time and skills required to provide appropriate oversight."
"Safety concerns raised in relation to PAs were almost always about making a diagnosis and deciding the initial treatment. It is here that the risk of missing an unusual disease or condition is highest."
Read at www.bbc.com
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