Absenteeism certification: the physician's role

Two hundred five family physicians and 135 personnel managers were surveyed to determine the physician's role in certifying absenteeism. Fifty-four percent of the managers returned the questionnaire and indicated that the physician's certificate reduced absenteeism. Even though they expressed dissatisfaction with the certificate's content, the personnel managers usually did not request additional information. Sixty-six percent of the physicians returned questionnaires, with 80 percent reporting one or more requests for certification per week, and 41 percent feeling pressured to write unwarranted excuses. The primary factor the physicians considered when writing an excuse was whether the illness could be verified. Requests for excuses when conditions lacked objective findings produced physician feelings of reluctance, of suspicion, and of being manipulated.