Table 4 Certification in various European countries, described by researcher colleagues [12], reported in previous studies [2, 7, 13, 14] or studied using Maltese doctors' electronic patient records [15]. Where data on sickness certification was not available, data on the total number of administrative procedures is used instead.
Country | Sickness certificates (when specified – administrative procedures) | Doctor's certificate needed when? | Re-certification needed after what time? | Coding of diagnostic title on certificates? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | > 3 days | varies with diagnosis | not coded | |
Flanders | 5.4% of interventions, 17.9% of encounters [13] | day 1 | every month | not coded |
France | day 1 | FP may certify for long periods | not coded | |
Germany | > 2 days | one month | ICD-10 | |
Hungary | 3 days self-certification once in a year | 1 st week, then every two weeks | ICD-10 | |
Israel | 0.8% of interventions were administrative procedures [13] 11% of consultations [2] | 1st day self-certified up to 3–4 times a year | Varies, few days (FP) to some months (specialist) | ICD-9 or (9-CM) |
Italy | 3.6% of reasons for encounter by patients were sick certificate requests [13] | day 1 | 1 week | not coded |
Malta | 5.7% of all reasons for encounter in new episodes were for administrative procedures; the latter requested in 8.2% of all new episodes; 4.7% of interventions; certificates issued in 11.7% of encounters and 11.3% of episodes [15] | day 1 | one week | not coded |
Netherlands | 0.09% of encounters [14] | self-certification | social security physician, variable time | FPs not involved in certification process |
Norway | 12–17% of encounters [2] | > 3 days | weeks | ICPC |
Poland | 2.0% of interventions [14] | day 1 | up to six months | ICD-10 |
Portugal | day 1 | every month | not coded | |
Slovenia | day 1 | every month | ICD-10 | |
Sweden | 8.8% of encounters [7] | day 8 | weeks | not coded |
United Kingdom | 18–35% of consultations [2] | > 5 days | FP may certify for long periods | not coded |
Wallonia | 3.6% of reasons for encounters were for administrative procedures [13] | day 1 | every month | not coded |