Advanced Practice Providers in Plastic Surgery: A Scoping Review.

[BACKGROUND] Advanced practice providers (APPs), including physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs), are increasingly integrated into surgical specialties. However, their roles within plastic and reconstructive surgery remain poorly defined. While other fields have examined APPs' contributions to productivity, outcomes, and education, plastic surgery lacks a comprehensive synthesis of the available evidence. This scoping review aims to characterize the scope, impact, and distribution of APP responsibilities across plastic surgery subspecialties.

[METHODS] A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase through May 1, 2025, identified studies reporting on APP roles, outcomes, or experiences in plastic surgery. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, surveys, commentaries/opinion pieces, and relevant conference abstracts. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data, classifying studies by subspecialty (general, aesthetic, craniofacial, burn, hand, breast, microsurgery) and thematic domain (workforce/utilization, education/training, productivity/financial impact, provider well-being, and patient experience/outcomes).

[RESULTS] Twenty-seven papers met inclusion criteria (23 manuscripts, 4 abstracts) from 2004 to 2025, most from the United States (n=22). APPs were most frequently studied in general (n=7), aesthetic (n=5), hand (n=5), and breast (n=4) surgery. Reported benefits included increased clinic throughput, enhanced triage, rural access expansion, and comparable patient satisfaction. Few studies assessed provider well-being, educational impact, or APP roles in microsurgery.

[CONCLUSIONS] APPs contribute meaningfully to care delivery across plastic surgery subspecialties. However, further research is needed to define their roles in high-complexity care, education, and long-term outcomes.