Managing the wait

Wait times for endocrinology care can delay diagnosis and management of many hormonal imbalance disorders. Physician associates (PAs) are now, more than ever, faced with the task of ordering and interpreting complex laboratory tests to diagnose these endocrine disorders in the face of specialty care shortages. When primary care providers diagnose a disorder, it speeds therapy initiation and slows or stops the risk of complications. This article aims to assist PAs in nonendocrinology settings by clarifying various confounding factors that may impede diagnosis, as well as to provide guidelines and practical advice for the diagnosis and treatment of common endocrine disorders.