Benefits and harms of sick leave: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials

• The aim of this study was to try to identify those randomized controlled trials that compare sick leave with no sick leave or a different duration or degree of sick leave. A comprehensive, systematic, electronic search of Clinical Evidence, the Cochrane Library and PubMed, and a manual search of the Campbell Library and a journal supplement was carried out. Only two studies with randomization of sick leave were found. Patients, who were suspected of having whiplash injuries following a car accident, were randomly assigned to either 14 days on sick leave wearing a neck collar, or no neck collar or sick leave, and employees with musculoskeletal disorders were randomized to part-time sick leave and work adjustments, or full-time sick leave. Over 99% of the studies on sick leave were observational. The reason for the scarcity of randomized controlled trials is unknown. There is a definite, urgent need for randomized, controlled studies of the effects that sick leave has on health issues.  

Keyword

sick leave

Rehabilitering

rehabiliteringsvetenskap

MEDICINE

MEDICIN

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

for (subject category)