Duration of episodes of sickness certification

The duration of episodes of sickness certification are reported according to cause, sex, and age. The study is based on the 5,042 initial certificates issued to residents of Buskerud county in Norway during a period of four weeks in 1985. Forty per cent were still certified sick after two weeks, 14.2% after eight weeks, and 1.3% at the end of one year. The mean duration of the 5,042 episodes of sickness certification was 34 calendar days for both sexes, increasing significantly with age (range 16-57 days). Patients with a high probability of long-term sickness certification were those with circulatory system diseases, musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases, neoplasms, endocrine/nutritional/metabolic diseases, and mental disorders. The same was true for patients certified sick due to "other complications of pregnancy", syndromes related to the cervical spine, and back pain with radiating symptoms. Information on cause-, sex-, and age-specific duration of episodes of sickness certification, such as provided by the present study, may help general practitioners to select those patients who should be given priority for early rehabilitation. A systematic follow-up of patients with a high probability of long-term sickness certification is an important task in primary health care, and should be carried out in co-operation with other health- and social-workers.