Utilizing the physician assistant role: case study in an upper-extremity orthopedic surgical program

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Healthcare Management
• Physician Assistant Studies

Background:

• Canadian orthopedic services face resource shortages and inefficiencies.
• Physician assistants (PAs) are common in US orthopedic care but less experienced in Canada.
• A demonstration project in Alberta integrated a PA into an upper-extremity surgical program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the role of a physician assistant (PA) in preoperative, operative, and postoperative orthopedic care.
• To evaluate the impact of a PA on patient access and care quality.
• To assess system efficiencies within an orthopedic surgical program.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods evaluation including interviews, surveys (healthcare providers and patients), and clinic data analysis.
• Analysis of 2 years of new patient data.
• Operating room experiment comparing expected versus actual surgical phase times.

Main Results:

• The PA managed patient referrals and postoperative follow-up, increasing new patients by 113% in the second year.
• Healthcare providers and patients reported excellent care provided by the PA.
• Surgical preparation time exceeded expectations, while surgeon and postsurgery times were reduced.

Conclusions:

• The PA became an integral part of the orthopedic care team within 24 months.
• The PA demonstrated the ability to deliver quality care across the continuum of orthopedic services.
• The integration of a PA improved system efficiencies in orthopedic care.