General practitioners' use of sickness certification guidelines in Sweden at introduction and four years later: a survey study.

Objective: National sickness certification guidelines were introduced in Sweden in 2007, comprising both overarching and diagnoses-specific recommendations. This study aimed to investigate how general practitioners (GP) used and perceived the usefulness of these guidelines in the sickness certification process close after introduction and 4 years later.

Design: Two nationwide cross-sectional surveys in 2008 and 2012.

Obstetricians/Gynecologists' Problems in Sickness Certification Consultations: Two Nationwide Surveys.

To explore experiences by physicians working in obstetrics, gynecology, or maternal healthcare (O/Gs) of problems in sickness certification consultations and differences between two years. Answers by O/Gs to two Swedish nationwide surveys, in 2008 ( = 1037) and 2012 ( = 992), were analyzed for frequencies and severity of problems and organizational support in sickness certification consultations. One-third of O/Gs found sickness certifications problematic every week.

Problems with sickness certification tasks: experiences from physicians in different clinical settings. A cross-sectional nationwide study in Sweden.

Background: Many physicians find sickness certification of patients problematic. The aims were to explore problems that physicians in different clinical settings experience with sickness certification tasks in general and with assessment of function, work capacity, and need for sick leave, as well as handling of sick-leave spells of different durations.

Methods: Data from a questionnaire sent to 33,144 physicians aged <68 years, living and working in Sweden in 2012 were analysed.

Occupational health physicians have better work conditions for handling sickness certification compared with general practitioners: results from a nationwide survey in Sweden.

Aims: To study whether occupational health physicians (OPs) have a better work situation regarding handling of sickness certification compared with other physicians, in particular general practitioners (GPs), and to analyze associations between OPs' experiences of assessing and providing a long-term prognosis of patients' work capacity and some potentially interrelated factors.

Methods: Answers to a nationwide survey from physicians who had sickness certification consultations at least once monthly were analyzed. Differences among OPs (n=481), GPs (n=4257) and physicians working in other clinical settings (n=9452) were estimated by chi square tests.

Reasons for and factors associated with issuing sickness certificates for longer periods than necessary: results from a nationwide survey of physicians.

Background: Physicians' work with sickness certifications is an understudied field. Physicians' experience of sickness certifying for longer periods than necessary has been previous reported. However, the extent and frequency of such sickness certification is largely unknown.

Problems experienced by gynecologists/obstetricians in sickness certification consultations.

Objective: To explore frequencies and experiences with problems in sickness certification consultations among gynecologists and obstetricians in two different years.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys on two occasions; in 2004 and 2008.

Setting: Gynecological, obstetric and maternal health care.

Psychiatrists' work with sickness certification: frequency, experiences and severity of the certification tasks in a national survey in Sweden.

Background: Many psychiatrists are involved in sickness certification of their patients; however, there is very limited knowledge about this aspect of their work. The objective of this study was to explore frequencies of problematic issues in the sickness certification tasks and experiences of severity regarding these problematic issues among psychiatrists.

Methods: A cross-sectional nationwide questionnaire study to all physicians in Sweden.

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.

Objectives: In 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.

Design: A cross-sectional nationwide questionnaire study.

Aerobic fitness in patients at work despite recurrent low back pain: a cross-sectional study with healthy age- and gender-matched controls.

Objective: The aims of this study were to compare the aerobic fitness level of working patients who have recurrent low back pain with those of healthy age- and gender-matched controls, and to investigate the relationship of aerobic fitness level with pain intensity, general health, perceived disability, fear-avoidance beliefs and self-efficacy.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 57 patients with recurrent low back pain, with a mean of 10 years' pain duration and 57 healthy controls performed a sub-maximal Astrand cycle test. Predicted maximum oxygen consumption was calculated and compared.

A 3-year follow-up of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme for back and neck pain.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of a behavioural medicine rehabilitation programme and the outcome of its two main components, compared to a 'treatment-as-usual' control group. The study employed a 4 x 5 repeated-measures design with four groups and five assessment periods during a 3-year follow-up. The group studied consisted of blue-collar and service/care workers on sick leave, identified in a nationwide health insurance scheme in Sweden.

Physical performance tests for people with spinal pain--sensitivity to change.

Objective: The sensitivity to change for six physical performance tests for assessing impairments and activity limitations in persons with spinal pain was examined.

Method: Eighty men and 106 women with long-term spinal pain participating in a randomized controlled study went through the tests on inclusion in the study, and were then invited to follow-up tests after 5 weeks and 6 months. The tests were a 'step-on-stool test', three gait tests and two lifting tests (PILE tests).

Physical performance tests for people with long-term spinal pain: aspects of construct validity.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of 6 physical performance tests that had already been shown to have acceptable repeatability.

Design: Data were collected in a randomized controlled multi-centre study.

Subjects: 126 women and 105 men sick-listed for spinal pain carried out the tests and provided personal and background data at inclusion in the study.