Exploring the role of physician associates in Aotearoa New Zealand primary health care

Introduction New Zealand's health care system faces significant shortages in health care workers. To address workforce challenges and meet the population's health needs, health care systems around the world have introduced new clinical roles, such as physician associates/assistants (PAs) into existing health care teams.Aim This article aims to examine the benefits, challenges, and broader implications of regulating PAs in the context of New Zealand's primary care sector, with a specific emphasis on how it may impact general practice.Methods A range of literature surrounding the role, impact, and perception of PAs were selected and included in this article.Results The PA profession can significantly strengthen New Zealand's primary care workforce, improving patient access and continuity of care. However, the global deployment of PAs has faced scrutiny due to concerns about its potential risks to patient safety and the overall viability of such a role.Discussion If regulated, the PA profession can reshape New Zealand's primary care, offering a partial solution to current medical staff shortages. Trained under a generalised medical model similar to doctors, PAs possess the necessary skills to perform both routine and non-routine medical tasks. This dual capability can significantly improve primary care service provision, reduce existing workloads, and allow for a more efficient deployment of doctor expertise. However, medico-legal issues and the supervisory burden can impede widespread integration into general practice. Despite challenges, the success of the PA role relies on mutual trust, respect, and support from other clinical team members within primary health care. What is already known: In various countries, health care providers aim to diversify the health workforce by introducing new clinical roles such as physician associates/assistants (PAs) to tackle ongoing workforce shortages. Numerous studies highlight PAs as cost-effective contributors who enhance access to safe and effective care. Despite these benefits, the integration of PAs into health care systems has encountered considerable scrutiny from both the public and medical professionals. What this study adds: The Ministry of Health has recently proposed the regulation of the PA profession, allowing foreign-trained PAs to take on clinical responsibilities in both primary and secondary care settings. This article examines the feasibility and implications of introducing PAs into New Zealand's primary care sector, particularly within the context of general practice.