“Mrs Marking’s son was under the mistaken belief that the physician associate was a doctor by this title in circumstances where no steps were taken by the emergency department or the physician associate to explain or clearly differentiate their role from that of medically qualified practitioners.”.
“This blurring of roles without public knowledge and understanding of the role of a physician associate has the potential to devalue and undermine public confidence in the medical profession whilst allowing physician associates to potentially undertake roles outside of their competency, thereby compromising patient safety.”.
“It was inappropriate that she was sent home, with abdominal pain, vomiting blood, and misdiagnosed with a nose bleed, not only without having received appropriate care, but with both her and her son unaware that she had been seen only by a physician associate (PA) instead of a doctor.
Dr Henderson also highlighted a “lack of understanding” around the role, highlighting how even some hospital staff believe a PA is the equivalent of a certain type of resident doctor.
She added: “The lack of public knowledge that a physician associate is not medically qualified has the potential to hinder requests by patients and their relatives who would wish to seek an opinion from a medical practitioner.
