Three-quarters of Canadians support legislation to curb sick
notes for short-term minor illnesses that do not require medical
intervention: survey
OTTAWA,
ON, Oct. 28, 2024 /CNW/ - The Canadian Medical
Association (CMA) is calling for the elimination of sick notes for
short-term minor illnesses, which could prevent as many as 12.5
million unnecessary health-care interactions in a single year.
A new survey conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of the CMA shows
that approximately one-third of working Canadians were asked by
their employers to produce a sick note for a short-term absence at
least once in the last year.
"Sick notes are not a health systems issue, they're a human
resources issue," says Dr. Joss
Reimer, president of the CMA. "We understand that
organizations have policies in place to manage their human
resources, but when 6.5 million Canadians don't have access to a
family doctor and patients wait far too long for specialty care,
physicians need to focus their time caring for patients who need
medical care. We need to be there for patients who need us when
they need us."
Results from the CMA's 2021 National Physician Health Survey
indicate that 53% of physicians feel highly burned out, with
administrative burden being one of the main contributors. Sick
notes burden physicians with unnecessary administrative tasks,
detract from patient care, exacerbate health care system
inefficiencies and inequities and may contribute to increased
spread of viral illnesses.
In a new position paper, the CMA recommends legislative changes
to restrict the requirement for sick notes and promote alternatives
such as self-certification and flexible leave policies. This
approach aims to alleviate the administrative burden on health care
providers, improve patients' access to care and enhance the overall
efficiency of the health care system. Nearly three-quarters (72%)
of Canadians indicated their support for legislation to restrict
requests for sick notes for short-term leave.
The Abacus Data survey was conducted with 1,500 working adults
in Canada from Oct. 7 to 10, 2024. The margin of error for a
comparable random sample of the same size is +/- 2.53%, 19 times
out of 20.
About the CMA
The Canadian Medical Association leads a national movement
with physicians who believe in a better future of health. Our
ambition is a sustainable, accessible health system where patients
are partners, a culture of medicine that elevates equity, diversity
and wellbeing, and supportive communities where everyone has the
chance to be healthy. We drive change through advocacy, giving and
knowledge sharing – guided by values of collaboration and
inclusion.
SOURCE Canadian Medical Association