No physician gender difference in prescription of sick-leave certification: a retrospective study of the Skaraborg Primary Care Database

• Abstract Objective . The primary objective was to investigate how physicians ’ gender and level of experience affects the rate and length of sick-leave certifi cate prescription. The secondary objective was to study the physicians ’ gender and professional experience in relation to the diagnoses on the certifi cates. Design . Retrospective, cross-sectional study of computerized medical records from 24 health care centres in 2005. Setting . Primary care in Sweden. Subjects . Primary care physicians (n 589) and patients (n 88 780) aged 18 – 64 years. Main outcome measures . Rate and duration of sick leave certifi ed by different categories of physicians and for different diagnoses and gender of patients. Results . Sick leave was certifi ed in 9.0% (muscuoskeletal (3%) and psychiatric (2.3%) diagnoses were most common) of all contacts and the mean duration was 32.2 days. Overall there was no difference between male and female physicians in the sick-leave certifi cation prescription rate (9.1% vs. 9.0%) or duration of sick leave (32.1 vs. 32.6 days). The duration of sick leave was associated with the physician ’ s level of professional experience in general practice (GPs (Distriktläkare) 37, GP trainees (ST-läkare) 26, interns (AT-läkare) 20 and locum (vikarier) 19 days, p 0.001). Conclusion . Contrary to earlier studies we found no difference in sick-leave certification prescription rate and length between male and female physicians.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Allmänmedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- General Practice (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Other Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Family practice

gender

physicians

registries

sick leave

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)