1985 physician assistant role delineation study: ten years later

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Medical Professional Studies

Background:

• The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) actively works to define and protect the role of Physician Assistants (PAs) in healthcare.
• The evolving nature of PA practice necessitates regular evaluation of their role delineation, with previous studies conducted in 1971, 1976, and 1985.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze data from the 1985 study on PA practice specialty and task performance.
• To understand the scope and variation of tasks performed by PAs across different practice settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 1985 PA role delineation study.
• Examined task performance and practice specialty information.

Main Results:

• Physician Assistants (PAs) are broadly responsible for primary care tasks, irrespective of their specialty.
• Most primary care tasks are fundamental and universally performed by PAs.
• Significant variations exist in the level of responsibility and frequency of task performance among different PA specialties.

Conclusions:

• PA practice encompasses a wide array of fundamental primary care tasks.
• While core competencies are shared, specialty practice influences the specific duties and their execution by PAs.