More than half of Irish GPs are in favour of issuing patients with UK-style “fit notes” instead of traditional sickness certificates because the current system focuses too much on disability, a study has revealed.
Fit notes replaced sick certs in the UK in 2010. Rather than simply stating that a patient is unfit for work and assessing how long they should remain on sick leave, GPs can also advise on when the patient can return to the workplace in a limited capacity, such as with reduced hours or fewer duties.
The study, run by the school of health science at University College Dublin and funded by the Irish College of General Practitioners, described the fit note as a potential replacement for the sickness certification system