Background: A recent report highlights the need for clear standards of practice regarding working-age health. Despite this, little is known about training or performance of sickness certification by junior doctors in secondary care.
Aims: To see what sickness certification training had been received by practising hospital postgraduate trainees and establish how confident and knowledgeable they were in this area. We also evaluated the feasibility and face validity of a paper-based educational module.
Methods: We surveyed 51 junior doctors in a variety of specialties, at all grades. Questions concerned training and practice of sickness certification and assessing capacity for work. A knowledge test regarding formal guidelines, use of forms and self-certification was undertaken, before participants evaluated a 10 min training module.
Results: Seventy-nine per cent of participants lacked knowledge in sickness certification, and 55% were not confident to assess capacity for work; 66% had received no training at all and 71% participants followed no guideline. Many could not identify or explain the use of certificates: MED-3 (50 or 71%, respectively), MED-5 (42 or 38%, respectively), MED-10 (0 or 17%, respectively), RM-7 (2 or 6%, respectively) and DS-1500 (6 or 8%, respectively). Majority of participants thought that an educational module could increase knowledge and skill in sickness certification (96%) and in assessing work capacity (74%).
Conclusions: Junior doctors are involved in sickness certification, but there is a lack of training at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and many are unaware of formal guidance. The majority of junior doctors are concerned about lack of knowledge in this area and to a lesser extent in assessing patients' capacity to work. A simple educational module could improve confidence, knowledge and skills in sickness certification.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqp182 | DOI Listing |
Clin Rehabil
December 2024
Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Glasgow, UK.
Objective: To identify the challenges and key learning and development needs of First Contact Physiotherapists (FCPs) providing fitness for work and sickness absence certification from Occupational Health physiotherpists' viewpoints.
Design: An online modified version of the Nominal Group Technique.
Participants: A convenience sample of 21 expert occupational health physiotherapists as participants whose substantive job role was within a public or private UK based occupational health provider.
Metab Brain Dis
November 2024
School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kola nut is commonly consumed by pregnant women to suppress symptoms of morning sickness. This study investigated the effects of kola nut on the biochemical indices of the hippocampus and its dependent memory. Kola nut extract was fed to pregnant dams from the first day of their pregnancy until parturition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Pharm Des
July 2024
Department of Research, Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Mo i Rana, Norway.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease that infects the lower airways, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and fatal pneumonia. The ripple effect of the COVID-19 outbreak has created serious problems in the healthcare systems of many countries and had far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Thus, effective control measures should be implemented for this coronavirus infection in the future.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Health Serv Res
April 2024
Cluster for Health Services Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
BMC Public Health
February 2024
Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Cluster for Health Services Research, Postboks 222, Skøyen, Oslo, N-0213, Norway.
Background: General practitioners (GPs) have an important gatekeeping role in the Norwegian sickness insurance system. This role includes limiting access to paid sick leave when this is not justified according to sick leave criteria. 85% of GPs in Norway operate within a fee-for-service system that incentivises short consultations and high service provision.
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