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Summary
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Objectives
The overall objective of this study is to increase knowledge of the
underlying factors that may contribute to differences in sickness
absence between women and men. In this study, the main aim is to
examine the observed differences in prescribed length of sick leave
in medical sickness certificates between women and men.
Methods
The medical sickness certificates register was utilised to examine
whether there are differences between men and women with regard
to prescribed length of sick leave in the first and second sickness
certificates in an episode of sickness benefit. The study population
included employees with sick leave longer than 14 days during 2010–
2014. In order to make as accurate a comparison as possible, only
those ICD-10 diagnoses that occur about as often in women as in men
were included in the analysis (30–70% women/men; 1,206
diagnoses). The analysis of the first sickness certificate was based
on 679,220 episodes of sick leave (55% women). The analysis of the
second sickness certificate was based on 365,527 episodes of sick
leave (57% women). Unexplained sex differences in prescribed
length of sick leave were analysed using linear regression analysis
(OLS).
Fin
d
ings
In the first medical sickness certificate in an episode of sickness
benefit, men were prescribed more days of sick leave than women in
ten of the twelve diagnostic chapters investigated (m=2.8 days). At
diagnostic block level, men were prescribed more days of sick leave
than women in 17 of the 20 diagnostic blocks investigated. In the
second sickness certificate in an episode of sick leave, men were
prescribed more days of sick leave than women in eight of the twelve
diagnostic chapters (m=1.8 days). Consequently, the results show that
physicians’ sickness certification practices differ for male and female
patients with regard to prescribed length of sick leave.
The sex difference in prescribed length of sick leave may partly be
due to differences between women and men with regard to care
seeking behaviour, and, thus, health condition at the health care visit.