PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sarah Bowen AU - Ingrid Botting AU - Lori-Anne Huebner AU - Brock Wright AU - Beth Beaupre AU - Sheldon Permack AU - Ian Jones AU - Ainslie Mihlachuk AU - Jeanette Edwards AU - Chris Rhule TI - Potential of physician assistants to support primary care DP - 2016 May 01 TA - Canadian Family Physician PG - e268--e277 VI - 62 IP - 5 4099 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/62/5/e268.short 4100 - http://www.cfp.ca/content/62/5/e268.full SO - Can Fam Physician2016 May 01; 62 AB - Objective To determine effective strategies for introducing physician assistants (PAs) in primary care settings and provide guidance to support ongoing provincial planning for PA roles in primary care.Design Time-series research design using multiple qualitative methods.Setting Manitoba.Participants Physician assistants, supervising family physicians, clinic staff, members of the Introducing Physician Assistants into Primary Care Steering Committee, and patients receiving care from PAs.Methods The PA role was evaluated at 6 health care sites between 2012 and 2014; sites varied in size, funding models, geographic locations (urban or rural), specifics of the PA role, and setting type (clinic or hospital). Semistructured interviews and focus groups were conducted; patient feedback on quality improvement was retrieved; observational methods were employed; and documents were reviewed. A baseline assessment was conducted before PA placement. In 2013, there was a series of interviews and focus groups about the introduction of PAs at the 3 initial sites; in 2014 interviews and focus groups included all 6 sites.Main findings The concerns that were expressed during baseline interviews about the introduction of PAs (eg, community and patient acceptance) informed planning. Most concerns that were identified did not materialize. Supervising family physicians, site staff, and patients were enthusiastic about the introduction of PAs. There were a few challenges experienced at the site level (eg, front-desk scheduling), but they were perceived as manageable. Unanticipated challenges at the provincial level were identified (eg, diagnostic test ordering). Increased attachment and improved access—the goals of introducing PAs to primary care—were only some of the positive effects that were reported.Conclusion This first systematic multisite evaluation of PAs in primary care in Canada demonstrated that with appropriate collaborative planning, PAs can effectively integrate into primary care settings in a short period of time, with high acceptance from stakeholders. Further research is required to measure the effects of introducing PAs to health care centres and to provide direction for future outcome assessments.