Do junior doctors take sick leave?: Table 1

Abstract

Nosocomial infections place a heavy burden on overstretched health services. An audit of junior doctors’ sick leave behaviour was undertaken in 1993 and again in 2001. The object was to ascertain the level of common infectious illness and to investigate whether junior doctors were remaining at work inappropriately. The doctors were asked if any factors had influenced their decision to take sick leave or not. Between the two audits several initiatives have been introduced to improve the working conditions of junior doctors, including the New Deal to reduce hours of work. Eighty one junior doctors in a large teaching hospital participated in 1993 and 110 in 2001. The number reporting an infectious illness in the previous six months was similar (61.7% in 1993, 68.2% in 2001). There had been a significant increase in the percentage of infectious illness episodes for which the doctors took sick leave (15.1% in 1993, 36.8% in 2001, p < 0.001). The most common reason for taking less sick leave than was felt necessary was concern about colleagues having to do extra work (72% in 1993, 68% in 2001). Consultant pressure was cited by 26% (1993) and 20% (2001). Use of the staff occupational health unit was minimal, with none of the ill doctors contacting the department in 1993 and only three in 2001. Overall, despite the reduction in the number of infectious doctors not taking sick leave, the majority remained at work. Fundamental changes are needed if potentially infected doctors are not to present a risk of iatrogenic infection.

Personal time off and residents’ career satisfaction, attitudes and emotions

“…A total of 8% of the respondents in our survey reported that their programme required documentation of reasons for time‐off requests. Previous studies suggest that residents are less likely to access health care (physical or mental) because of concerns over confidentiality and privacy 23,24 . Thus, any requirement that residents document why they are requesting time off is likely to deter them from addressing important needs such as mental health appointments.…”

Delaying Care, Avoiding Stigma: Residentsʼ Attitudes Toward Obtaining Personal Health Care

“…17 Data regarding residents postponing or avoiding care remain scarce. 18,19 We examined the attitudes and behaviors of residents in primary care and specialty programs at one institution pertaining to their own health care. In this report, we focused on items related to postponing or avoiding care.…”

“…These findings are consistent with a British study that reported that most junior doctors had not taken any leave for the majority of illness episodes during the prior 6 months and that a majority of them had expressed concerns about colleagues having to cover. 19 Residents were asked whether colleagues who must miss work because of health issues were treated with empathy or ostracism. They endorsed both.…”

“Patients, not doctors, get sick”: A study of fifteen Swedish physicians on long-term sick leave

“…It also indicates that they resist being on sick leave Forsythe et al, 1999) and that they tend to work when sick (Baldwin et al, 1997;Kivimäki et al, 2001;Cupples, Bradley, Sibbett & Thompson, 2002;Tillett, 2003), unlike other categories with high income and similar status (McKevitt, Morgan, Dundas, Holland, 1997), but like other categories within the health care sector (Aronsson, Gustafsson & Dallner, 2000). Previous research shows that this is the result of perceived pressure to be at work (Töyry et al, 2000;Aronsson et al, 2000;Thompson et al, 2001;Kivimäki et al, 2001;Perkin, Higton & Witcomb, 2003) and that members of professional categories that are not easily replaced by others when absent show a higher degree of sick presence than others (Aronsson et al, 2000).…”