\n<\/p>\n
As a physician assistant (PA), your patient interactions are personalized and an integral aspect of the primary care practice\u2019s approach to patient care. Patient appointments may run the gamut from same-day visits to treating patients with more chronic conditions.<\/p>\n
During patient appointments, you initiate in-office tests to broaden your diagnosis methodology. After receiving test results, you might need to collaborate with a doctor. Consider these guidelines on whether that kind of collaboration is warranted.<\/p>\n
In primary care, PAs see patients for the same kinds of issues as any frontline provider, everything from same-day appointments for rashes, coughs, or flu symptoms to ongoing management of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, said Jensen Lewis, MSPAS, PA-C, program director and associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. \u201cPAs are trained and licensed to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients \u2014 including prescribing medications,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
If a patient\u2019s blood pressure is high, for example, the PA can explain what that means, order or adjust medication, and create a plan for follow-up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is both appropriate and expected that they answer patient questions about in-office tests such as EKGs, blood pressure checks, or other point-of-care tests,\u201d said Lewis. \u201cIn fact, part of the PA\u2019s role is to interpret and explain these results in real time, ensuring patients understand what the test means for their health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of importance is that PAs work as part of a collaborative team. So if a question requires input from a physician or if the test results tie into a broader care plan, PAs will often explain the results and answer questions immediately and then reinforce or expand on that information together with the collaborating physician.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to provide clear, timely, and accurate information so patients feel informed and cared for, while also practicing within the collaborative framework of the healthcare team,\u201d Lewis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To ease the emotions of patients, normalize their experience of feeling anxious\/nervous by explaining what the test does and why it\u2019s important.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is to frame the test as an act of prevention and reassurance, not alarm,\u201d said Lewis.<\/p>\n
Another approach is to respond with empathy. And if abnormal test results are discovered, PAs are trained and licensed to manage these abnormalities, Lewis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPAs can consult the collaborating physician or refer the patient to any subspecialist, such as a cardiologist, for further workup. The PA\u2019s role, however, is to explain what is known, what is being done next, and offer an explanation as to why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building patient rapport is paramount to creating and maintaining trust with patients. It could be helpful to incorporate patient-centric approaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, PAs should avoid the use of medical jargon \u2014 use \u2018high blood pressure\u2019 instead of \u2018hypertension,\u2019\u201d said Lewis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also, he said, PAs should sit at eye level with the patient. \u201cThis communicates respect and attention,\u201d Lewis said. It\u2019s also important to acknowledge the patient\u2019s emotions. \u201cPatients want a provider to listen to them; listening to patients invites their input. Patients respond to authenticity and presence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trust and transparency are key in the patient-provider relationship. \u201cIt is OK for PAs to pause when something is outside of their scope and need further input,\u2019 said Lewis.<\/p>\n
To that point, a PA should explain results to patients to the degree one is comfortable and competent, and in alignment with clinic protocols, said Deborah L. Schofield, PhD, DNP, CRNP, senior nurse practitioner for population health at the University of Maryland Medical Center, chair of advanced practice providers at the University of Maryland Medical System, and an associate adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, all in Baltimore.<\/p>\n
Explaining \u201cyour blood pressure is high\/normal\u201d or \u201cyour rapid strep test is positive\/negative, so here is what we\u2019ll do\u201d is usually within the PA\u2019s role, Schofield said. However, for more complex interpretations such as \u201csubtle EKG findings, borderline results, or results that raise significant red flags, the PA may elect to involve the collaborating physician, refer to them, or at least consult before communicating a definitive conclusion if uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus, a PA doesn\u2019t have to defer everything to the physician, but they must stay within what they are educated, trained, and delegated to do and collaborate as needed, she further said.<\/p>\n
The PA should determine if they are comfortable referring a patient to a specific specialist. If they are, they should and may move forward in doing so.<\/p>\n
\u201cPAs regularly coordinate referrals to specialists like cardiologists, gastroenterologists, or pulmonologists, and in most practices, PAs generate and submit these referrals directly,\u201d said Lewis. \u201cThe PA remains the point of contact, helping to interpret results and coordinate ongoing care once the specialist provides input.\u201d<\/p>\n
If a PA is seeking additional insight or a second opinion for a referral, they can consult with the physician as needed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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As a physician assistant (PA), your patient interactions are personalized and an integral aspect of the primary care practice\u2019s approach to patient care. Patient appointments may run the gamut from same-day visits to treating patients with more chronic conditions. During patient appointments, you initiate in-office tests to broaden your diagnosis methodology. After receiving test results, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextam_enable_autolinks":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gty-260121-senior-female-patient-doctor-800x450.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diyhaven858.wasmer.app\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}