NZRDA endorses recommendations to enhance patient safety and clarity in physician assistant workforce

The New Zealand Resident Doctors’ Association (NZRDA) strongly endorses two crucial recommendations from the independent Leng Review into physician associates in the UK.

The first, recommendation calls for changing the title from “associate” back to ‘assistant’ which clarifies their supportive role within the medical team, and emphasising they are not a doctor, but work under the direct supervision of a qualified medical practitioner.

“In New Zealand the common use of the word “physician” to mean “doctor” would suggest medical assistant would be a better name for those working here” says Dr Deborah Powell National Secretary of the N Z Resident Doctors Association. “One of the significant issues both in the UK and of concern here in NZ is to ensure patients understand when they are seeing a doctor, as opposed to someone who is not a doctor as in the case of a physician (medical) associate.”

A second Leng Report recommendation endorsed by NZRDA restricts physician (medical) assistants from seeing undifferentiated or undiagnosed patients. This recognises their lack of medical training leaves them underequipped in clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills, and ensures initial assessments come from doctors.

These recommendations are important safeguards but the NZRDA believes more is needed to protect patient safety. “Assistants should not be permitted to commence patient treatment without a supervising doctor signing off on a treatment plan.“ says Dr Powell.

These recommendations stem from the Leng Review’s findings that the evidence base on PA practice is limited and of low quality. “When interest groups continue to push their own agenda about the safety and effectiveness of this role, without an evidence base to support that conclusion, it reinforces the need for caution,” said NZRDA National Secretary Dr Deborah Powell.

The review’s findings offer a basis for the regulation of this assistant workforce in Aotearoa. “Patient safety must always come first,” said Dr Powell. “By extending and adapting these recommendations locally we can ensure mistakes of the past and in similar jurisdictions to our own, are not repeated.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Dr Deborah Powell
NZRDA – National Secretary
Ph: 021 614 040
Email: secretary@nzrda.org.nz

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