Suitability of issuing sickness certifications in remote consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed method study of GPs’ experiences

Figures & data

Table 1. Background characteristics of the respondents.

Background characteristics	n	%
Gender
Female (%)	172	56.0%
Male (%)	134	43.6%
N/A	1	0.3%
Age
< 30 years (%)	7	2.3%
30–39 years (%)	108	34.5%
40–54 years (%)	134	43.0%
55–66 years (%)	50	16.0%
>67 years (%)	2	0.7%
N/A	11
Years of authorization
1980–1989 (%)	25	8.1%
1990–1999 (%)	31	10.1%
2000–2009 (%)	90	29.3%
2010–2020 (%)	122	39.7%
N/A	39	12.7%
Specialization in general medicine (%)	190	61.9%
N/A	39	12.7%
Length of patient list (patients)	1054
Average number of available places at list (patients)	29
Working as a substitute GP (%)	27	8.8%
N/A		3.6%
County of GP practice
Agder (%)	22	7.2%
Innlandet (%)	0
Møre og Romsdal (%)	35	11.4%
Nordland (%)	0
Oslo (%)	46	15.0%
Rogaland (%)	32	10.4%
Troms og Finnmark (%)	28	9.1%
Trøndelag (%)	23	7.5%
Vestfold og Telemark (%)	27	8.8%
Vestland (%)	28	9.12%
Viken (%)	65	21.2%
N/A	1	0.3%

Table 2. GPs’ claims about the suitability of issuing sickness certification without physical attendance.

Claim	n	%
First-time sickness certification without physical attendance makes it difficult to assess the patient’s ability to work
Totally agree	64	21.3%
Partly agree	142	47.2%
Neither agree nor disagree	45	15.0%
Partly disagree	37	12.3%
Totally disagree	13	4.3%
Extension of sickness certification without physical attendance is normally un-problematic
Totally agree	37	12.3%
Partly agree	143	47.5%
Neither agree nor disagree	57	18.9%
Partly disagree	53	17.6%
Totally disagree	11	3.7%
If the patient requests a sickness certification without meeting the conditions for a sickness certification – how does the form of consultation affect the ability to deny the request?
Much easier to deny without physical attendance	60	19.9%
A bit easier to deny without physical attendance	136	45.3%
No difference	48	15.9%
A bit easier to deny with physical attendance	22	7.3%
Much easier to deny with physical attendance	23	7.6%
I don’t know	12	4.0%

Table 3. Diagnosis or issues perceived suitable by GPs for issuing sickness certification without physical attendance.

Diagnoses (n = 609)	Frequency
Respiratory infections	153
COVID-19 related diagnoses	108
Mild mental disorders and exhaustion	108
Musculoskeletal complaints and follow-up on fractures	77
Infectious disease	70
Cancer	40
Pregnancy-related issues	29
Migraine	24
Patient or situation-specific problems (n = 287)
Known health problems	57
Extension of sickness certification	55
Sickness certification during or after stay in hospital or rehabilitation institution	54
Chronic sick patients and long-term sickness	40
Patients wating for hospital stay	22
Earlier clarified and defined sickness certification process	20
Known patient	14
Other issues	25