The Physician Assistant

Acceptance & Quality of Care

Patient Acceptance:

Patient acceptance of PAs is excellent. Surveys repeatedly indicate patients are highly satisfied with the job competence and professional manner of PAs. The utilization of physician assistants has resulted in improved access to health care and enhanced patient satisfaction.

Quality of Care:

Results of studies comparing the primary care services of physician assistants with those of general or family physicians and general internists have consistently shown no discernible difference in the quality of their diagnostic or therapeutic care. Most findings indicate that PAs spend more time per patient visit, provide more thorough medical record documentation, and devote more time to patient education.
Physician assistants contribute positively and significantly to health care delivery, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Depending on the setting, PAs may do 65-90% of the procedures routinely performed by physicians in general or family practice, with a comparable level of skill to that of physicians.

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Foreword

PA History & Concept

Supervising Physician

Services PAs Perform

Education & Certification

Practice Settings

Acceptance &
Quality of Care

Economic Factors

A Scenario

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