["Not the doctor's pigeon"--a common dilemma in sick-listing consultations]

The role played by doctors in the high sick-listing figures is a subject of vigorous discussion. The point of departure for the course "The generalpractitioner and the medical certificate" is that the doctor can combine concern for the patient with objective assessment. With the course participants' own sick-listing cases as material, it has been possible to categorize the difficulties. One such category is "Not the doctor's pigeon", when the doctor sees that the patients' problems concerning sick-listing would be better handled by, for example, the employer, the employment office, the social insurance office, or the patient himself. The categories found can be regarded as a practical support for the doctor in considering and discovering alternative actions.