Family physicians’ sick-listing practices in relation to mental disorders: A descriptive study

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are among the leading causes of disability for which family physicians are often required to complete sickness certificates. Yet, little is known about family physicians’ sick-listing practices in Quebec. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe their practices, difficulties and needs. METHODS: Twenty-three family physicians completed a comprehensive questionnaire on sickness certification practices. Descriptive statistics were used. RESULTS: Despite being completed on a weekly basis, sickness certifications were deemed problematic by all participants. While they rarely refused to sick-list a patient, 43.5% reported suggesting accommodations as an alternative to sick leave. Waiting-time to access psychotherapy and delays to set-up workplace accommodations are responsible for many unnecessary sick-leave prolongations. Lack of time, long duration absences, situations where the physician held a different opinion than the patient/healthcare provider and assessing an individual’s capacity to work are the most common reported problems. More than half of participants indicated medical schools do not greatly prepare them to carry out these tasks. CONCLUSION: Sickness certifications are deemed problematic, and more training might be key. Our results can be used by medical schools or bodies responsible for continuous education to improve training.