How can physicians in rehabilitation clinics be supported when time and staff are scarce? Physician Assistants (PAs) can help alleviate this burden. The research project "Optimizing Qualified Rehabilitation Care in Germany through a More Effective Implementation of Physician Assistants (PAs) – PRO-PA" at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) is investigating which tasks they can take on and how this can improve patient care.
Physician assistants are academically qualified professionals who support physicians with delegable tasks. These include, for example, taking medical histories, conducting physical examinations, and preparing therapeutic procedures. This profession has existed in Germany since 2005 and is becoming increasingly important due to the shortage of skilled workers in medical facilities, explains Prof. Dr. Catharina Maulbecker-Armstrong from the Department of Health, who heads the project at THM .
“While we now know quite a bit about the use of PAs in hospitals, their role in rehabilitation has hardly been investigated,” she emphasizes. Within the framework of the two-year research project, the team is gathering insights into how PAs are deployed in rehabilitation facilities across Germany and what tasks they perform. At the same time, the project addresses the questions of what added value they can offer patients, treatment teams, and facilities, and what organizational prerequisites are helpful for further expanding their use.
“The project takes a practical approach and places particular emphasis on reflecting the actual working realities in rehabilitation facilities,” emphasizes Prof. Maulbecker-Armstrong. The insights gained will contribute to the further development and improvement of rehabilitative care. PRO-PA is funded by the German Pension Insurance Fund of Central Germany with approximately €330,000.
The team also anticipates new insights for the further development of the profession: “PRO-PA makes an important contribution to the further professionalization and visibility of the profession in Germany and helps to better understand its potential in the healthcare context and to develop it further in line with needs. At the same time, it helps to close existing knowledge gaps regarding the use of PAs in rehabilitation,” explains Karin Moser, also part of the project team.