Physicians' Experiences With Sickness Absence Certification in Finland

Tiivistelmä

Aims

The aim of this study was to explore Finnish physicians' perceptions of sickness absence (SA) certification.

Methods

A questionnaire was sent to 50% of the physicians in Finland who provide care to working-age patients in a clinical practice setting. Of the 8867 physicians, 3089 responded. Physicians handling SA certification patients at least a few times per month were included (n = 2472).

Results

At least a few times per month, 61% of all physicians perceived SA issues as problematic, 60% had experienced a lack of time in dealing with SA matters, 36% had disagreed with a patient on SA certification, and 36% had met a patient who wanted a SA certificate for reasons other than a disease or injury. Physicians were least worried about patients filing complaints (4%), exhibiting threatening behaviour (2%), or switching physicians for SA certification reasons (1%). A total of 60% of physicians had prescribed SA for a longer period than necessary because of long waiting times for further care/measures. Non-specialized physicians, general practitioners, and psychiatrists experienced problems more frequently than surgeons and occupational health physicians. Over 50% of the respondents had a fairly large or very large need to deepen their knowledge of social insurance matters. The need for national guidelines for all or some diseases was reported by 80% of the respondents.

Conclusions

Many physicians perceive SA tasks as problematic and are unable to dedicate enough time to them. Shortcomings in physicians' sickness certification know-how, as well as obstacles in the healthcare and rehabilitation system, prolong the SA process. Attitudes towards the adoption of national guidelines on the duration of SA were positive.

Lue koko artikkeli (journals.sagepub.com)

Tekijät

Katariina Hinkka, Mikko Niemelä, Ilona Autti-Rämö, Heikki Palomäki

Lisätietoja julkaisusta

• Vertaisarvioitu: kyllä.
• Avoin saatavuus: ei.
• Koko viite: Hinkka, K., Niemelä, M., Autti-Rämö, I., Palomäki, H. (2019). Physicians' experiences with sickness absence certification in Finland. Scandinavian journal of public health, 47(8), 859–866. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494818758817