Table 4.
Physicians (%) who experienced sickness-certification as very or fairly problematic stratified on clinics.
| How problematic do you generally find it to... | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ...handle sickness- certification of patients? | ...to assess the degree which the reduced functional capacity limits a patient's work capacity? | ...provide a long-term prognosis about the future work capacity of a sick-listed patient? | ...assess the optimum duration and degree of sickness absence? | ...decide whether certify a prolongation of a sick-leave period initially certified by another physician? | ||||||
| Clinical setting: | % | ORb (95% CI) | % | ORb (95% CI) | % | ORb (95% CI) | % | ORb (95% CI) | % | ORb (95% CI) |
| Internal medicinea | 33.2 | 1 | 57.9 | 1 | 58.2 | 1 | 54.1 | 1 | 53.0 | 1 |
| Primary health care | 60.5 | 3.30 (2.93-3.72) | 81.5 | 3.51 (3.09-3.98) | 78.2 | 2.80 (2.48-3.17) | 70.0 | 2.15 (1.91-2.42) | 70.0 | 2.17 (1.93-2.43) |
| Rheumatology | 50.5 | 2.57 (1.87-3.52) | 64.3 | 1.61 (1.16-2.22) | 66.3 | 1.65 (1.19-2.29) | 52.8 | 1.20 (0.88-1.65) | 56.9 | 1.33 (0.97-1.81) |
| Psychiatry | 47.2 | 1.96 (1.67-2.31) | 61.9 | 1.28 (1.08-1.50) | 70.5 | 1.83 (1.54-2.16) | 55.7 | 1.16 (0.98-1.36) | 47.5 | 0.83 (0.71-0.97) |
| Neurology | 44.0 | 1.88 (1.41-2.51) | 61.1 | 1.35 (1.01-1.81) | 63.3 | 1.42 (1.06-1.90) | 55.1 | 1.29 (0.96-1.72) | 49.6 | 0.97 (0.73-1.28) |
| Pain management | 38.1 | 1.66 (0.98-2.82) | 58.1 | 1.35 (0.80-2.27) | 63.5 | 1.56 (0.92-2.64) | 45.2 | 0.99 (0.59-1.66) | 44.4 | 0.86 (0.51-1.43) |
| Orthopaedic | 42.7 | 1.61 (1.36-1.92) | 61.0 | 1.24 (1.04-1.47) | 61.0 | 1.20 (1.02-1.43) | 52.6 | 1.04 (0.87-1.23) | 56.5 | 1.23 (1.04-1.45) |
| Occupational health | 28.6 | 1.14 (0.89-1.45) | 41.6 | 0.72 (0.58-0.90) | 43.1 | 0.70 (0.56-0.88) | 36.0 | 0.71 (0.57-0.90) | 38.9 | 0.70 (0.56-0.88) |
| Dermatology | 32.3 | 1.13 (0.81-1.58) | 44.6 | 0.68 (0.50-0.93) | 52.2 | 0.89 (0.65-1.21) | 39.8 | 0.67 (0.49-0.92) | 43.8 | 0.76 (0.56-1.04) |
| Rehabilitation | 30.0 | 1.05 (0.73-1.50) | 45.6 | 0.73 (0.52-1.01) | 58.8 | 1.19 (0.85-1.66) | 41.5 | 0.75 (0.53-1.05) | 34.0 | 0.51 (0.36-0.72) |
| Gynaecology | 30.5 | 1.02 (0.85-1.22) | 50.9 | 0.86 (0.73-1.02) | 28.0 | 0.30 (0.25-0.36) | 45.4 | 0.83 (0.70-0.98) | 46.6 | 0.85 (0.72-1.01) |
| Administration | 26.2 | 0.94 (0.53-1.66) | 56.9 | 1.27 (0.76-2.11) | 46.2 | 0.76 (0.46-1.25) | 41.5 | 0.84 (0.50-1.40) | 38.5 | 0.66 (0.40-1.11) |
| Geriatrics | 24.3 | 0.78 (0.49-1.24) | 40.0 | 0.58 (0.39-0.88) | 44.2 | 0.66 (0.44-0.99) | 38.8 | 0.67 (0.44-1.02) | 28.8 | 0.40 (0.26-0.62) |
| Infectious diseases | 24.8 | 0.67 (0.51-0.89) | 55.0 | 0.92 (0.71-1.18) | 51.6 | 0.78 (0.61-1.00) | 51.3 | 0.93 (0.72-1.19) | 51.3 | 0.96 (0.75-1.23) |
| Ophthalmology | 20.1 | 0.60 (0.45-0.81) | 38.3 | 0.53 (0.42-0.68) | 34.6 | 0.43 (0.34-0.56) | 33.1 | 0.51 (0.39-0.66) | 29.0 | 0.40 (0.31-0.52) |
| Child and adolescent | 19.9 | 0.59 (0.44-0.79) | 25.6 | 0.29 (0.22-0.37) | 26.6 | 0.29 (0.22-0.38) | 28.5 | 0.40 (0.31-0.52) | 26.8 | 0.36 (0.28-0.47) |
| Surgery | 21.8 | 0.58 (0.49-0.68) | 44.4 | 0.60 (0.51-0.69) | 41.5 | 0.52 (0.45-0.60) | 40.0 | 0.58 (0.50-0.67) | 40.8 | 0.63 (0.54-0.73) |
| Ear, nose, and throat | 17.6 | 0.50 (0.38-0.66) | 45.7 | 0.72 (0.58-0.90) | 44.3 | 0.65 (0.52-0.81) | 38.9 | 0.65 (0.52-0.82) | 41.5 | 0.71 (0.57-0.89) |
| Oncology | 14.7 | 0.35 (0.25-0.49) | 38.2 | 0.46 (0.35-0.59) | 50.6 | 0.76 (0.60-0.97) | 31.2 | 0.38 (0.29-0.50) | 27.0 | 0.33 (0.25-0.43) |
| Other | 28.0 | 0.93 (0.76-1.13) | 41.1 | 0.58 (0.48-0.70) | 41.3 | 0.57 (0.47-0.69) | 38.3 | 0.62 (0.51-0.75) | 37.9 | 0.61 (0.51-0.74) |
a reference group (n = 1,874), b adjusted for rate of board certified specialists.
Bold figures indicates OR that is significantly greater or smaller than 1.