Physician assistants
NHS primary care is facing huge workforce shortages and lots of important people have been making noises about ‘changing the workforce skill mix’ and creating new non-medical roles to lighten the currently heavy load on GPs across the country. One suggestion has been the use of physician assistants (PAs). This role exist in many parts of the world, although definitions, education, and legislation vary widely from country to country. In order to support policymaking regarding PAs in primary care, a Dutch research team recently sought to understand factors influencing the decisions of GPs and managers to train and employ PAs within …