ArticleBMJ open2012
Physicians who experience sickness certification as a work environmental problem: where do they work and what specific problems do they have? A nationwide survey in Sweden.
Article in BMJ open, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- The effect of a short educational intervention in social insurance medicine: A randomized controlled trial.Nursing open · 2020Trial
- Medical certification in sickness benefit scheme (II): practical approaches for evaluating work disability.Annals of occupational and environmental medicine · 2025Review
- Neurologists dealing with sickness certification: Experiences of problems and need of competence.Brain and behavior · 2017Article
- Obstetricians/Gynecologists' Problems in Sickness Certification Consultations: Two Nationwide Surveys.Obstetrics and gynecology international · 2016Article
- General practitioners' perceptions of working with the certification of sickness absences following changes in the Swedish social security system: a qualitative focus-group study.BMC family practice · 2015Article
- GP and patient predictions of sick-listing duration: how well do they correspond? A prospective observational study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2014Observational
- Does part-time sick leave help individuals with mental disorders recover lost work capacity?Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2014Article
- Primary healthcare professionals' experiences of the sick leave process: a focus group study in Sweden.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2013Article
- Psychiatrists' work with sickness certification: frequency, experiences and severity of the certification tasks in a national survey in Sweden.BMC health services research · 2012Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn a recent study, 11% of the Swedish physicians below 65 years dealing with sickness certification tasks (SCT) experienced SCT to a great extent as a work environment problem (WEP). This study aimed at exploring which SCT problems those physicians experienced and if these problems varied between general practitioners (GPs), psychiatrists, orthopaedists and physicians working at other types of clinics.
designA cross-sectional nationwide questionnaire study.
settingAll physicians working in Sweden in 2008.
participantsThe 1554 physicians <65 years old, working in a clinical setting, having SCT and stating SCT to a great extent being a WEP. OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of possibly problematic situations or lack of time, reasons for sickness certifying unnecessarily long, experience of difficulties in contacts with sickness insurance offices, and severity of experienced problems.
resultsIn all, 79% of this group of physicians experienced SCT as problematic at least once weekly, significantly higher proportion among GPs (p<0.001) and psychiatrists (p=0.005). A majority (at most 68.3%) experienced lack of time daily, when handling SCT, the proportion being significantly higher among orthopaedists (p=0.003, 0.007 and 0.011 on three respective items about lack of time). Among psychiatrists, a significantly higher proportion (p<0.001) stated wanting a patient coordinator. Also, GPs agreed to a higher extent (p<0.001) to finding 14 different SCT tasks as 'very problematic'.
conclusionsThe main problem among physicians who experience SCT to a great extent as a WEP was lack of time related to SCT. The proportion of physicians experiencing problems varied in many aspects significantly between the different work clinics; however, GPs were among the highest in most types of problems. The results indicate that measures for improving physicians' sickness certification practices should be focused on organisational as well as professional level and that the needs in these aspects differ between specialties.
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