American Academy of Physician Assistants
950 North Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2000
Contact: Nancy Hughes
703/836-2272, ext. 3505
[email protected]
Robin Herron
703/836-2272, ext. 3501
[email protected]
Physician Assistant Prescribing Data Released
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) has released its latest information on PA prescribing which projects PAs recommended or prescribed 196 million pharmaceutical products in 1999 and were responsible for 154 million patient visits. The data are based on the AAPA's annual PA census and 1999 Market Research Survey.
In addition, a just completed 2000 survey conducted by AAPA of nearly 1,000 PAs in full-time clinical practice shows the median number of prescriptions written by PAs in all specialty areas is approximately 100 per week. This number does vary when evaluating PAs by specific specialty or work setting. The 2000 survey data were collected from PAs attending the AAPA's 28th Annual PA Conference held in Chicago in May.
A market survey conducted in 1999 at the AAPA's conference in Atlanta produced similar results: the median number of prescriptions written by PAs in full-time practice in all specialty areas was 100 per week. Again, this number varied when looking at PAs by specialty or work setting.
Medical Economics, publisher of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, conducted its own sample survey of PAs in 1999, which produced similar results. Its data show that physician assistants on average wrote 101 prescriptions per week in 1999 and were responsible for 88 patient visits per week.
The 2000 AAPA's annual conference survey also gathered data on patient disorders managed by PAs. The most common disorders PAs see are respiratory infections, followed by musculoskeletal disorders/injuries, allergic disorders, and hypertension.
Forty-six states plus the District of Columbia currently authorize physicians to delegate prescriptive authority to PAs. Thirty-nine states include controlled substances as part of this authority.
Pharmacology courses, taught by doctoral-level pharmacologists and/or clinical pharmacists, are part of the curricula of all physician assistant educational programs. At a minimum, the courses cover pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, adverse effects, contraindications, indications and dosage. This instruction is reinforced and augmented in clinical medicine units in which pharmacologic principles and treatment using pharmacologic agents comprise a significant component of each unit. In addition, pharmacology education occurs during each clinical clerkship or rotation. While on rotations, students write prescriptive orders with physician and graduate PA guidance and supervision.
Physician assistants are licensed health professionals who practice medicine as delegated by their supervising physicians. PAs deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services to diverse populations in rural and urban settings. As part of their comprehensive responsibilities, PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery, and prescribe medications.
There are approximately 38,000 PAs in clinical practice, and AAPA is the only national organization to represent physician assistants in all medical and surgical specialties and all work settings in the United States and the federal services. Founded in 1968, the Academy works to promote quality, cost-effective health care, and the professional and personal growth of PAs. For more information about the Academy and the PA profession, visit the AAPA's Web site at www.aapa.org. For more information on the methodology of estimating the number of pharmaceutical products and patient visits in 1999, contact the AAPA and request a copy of the 1999 Information Update.
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