ArticleJRSM open2020
Perceived impact on efficiency and safety of experienced American physician assistants/associates in acute hospital care in England: findings from a multi-site case organisational study.
Article in JRSM open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) on the productivity, quality of care, patient and healthcare workforce satisfaction, and budget implications in various healthcare settings: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Public perception of the physician associate profession in the UK: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Developing and integrating physician assistants/associates in UK hospital teams: a realist review of lessons from international experiences.BMC medicine · 2025Review
- Facilitators to the integration of the first UK-educated physician associates into secondary care services in the NHS.Future healthcare journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate the contribution, efficiency and safety of experienced physician associates included in the staffing of medical/surgical teams in acute hospitals in England, including facilitating and hindering factors.
designMixed methods longitudinal, multi-site evaluation of a two-year programme employing 27 American physician associates: interviews and documentary analysis.
settingEight acute hospitals, England.
participants36 medical directors, consultants, junior doctors, nurses and manager, 198 documents.
resultsOver time, the experienced physician associates became viewed as a positive asset to medical and surgical teams, even in services where high levels of scepticism were initially expressed. Their positive contribution was described as bringing continuity to the medical/surgical team which benefited patients, consultants, doctors-in-training, nurses and the overall efficiency of the service. This is the first report of the positive impact that, including physician associates in medical/surgical teams, had on achieving safe working hours for doctors in training. Many reported the lack of physician associates regulation with attendant legislated authority to prescribe medicines and order ionising radiation was a hindrance in their deployment and employment. However, by the end of the programme, seven hospitals had published plans to increase the numbers of physician associates employed and host clinical placements for student physician associates.
conclusionsThe programme demonstrated the types of contributions the experienced physician associates made to patient experience, junior doctor experience and acute care services with medical workforce shortages. The General Medical Council will regulate the profession in the future. Robust quantitative research is now required.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.