Use of nonphysician health care providers for XXXX screening in the primary care setting.

@entity5 @entity1489 @entity1
BACKGROUND: Nonphysician health care providers are in an optimal position to provide @entity5 prevention and screening services. METHODS: We conducted a survey of primary care physicians to determine physician use and amenability to use of nonphysician health care providers to perform @entity1489 screening in comparison with other @entity5 screening examinations. RESULTS: A total of 1,363 eligible physicians completed the survey. Of these, 631 physicians (46%) reported a nurse practitioner or physician assistant performing at least one type of @entity5 screening examination on their @entity1 . Twenty-nine and 22% of all physicians reported nurse practitioners or physician assistants performing @entity1489 screening, respectively. Family physicians were more likely to use nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform these @entity5 screening examinations than internists (chi(2) test, P = 0.001 for each examination). Skin examinations were performed less frequently by nurse practitioners and physician assistants than all other @entity5 screening examinations. A total of 73-79% of family physicians and 60-70% of internists were amenable to having a nonphysician health care provider perform one or more of these examinations. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care physicians are currently utilizing nonphysician health care providers to perform @entity5 screening examinations and the majority of those surveyed are amenable to the use of these providers for such examinations. This suggests that one possible strategy for increasing @entity1489 screening is through an expanded role of nonphysician health care providers.
