A recent study has shown a huge variation in how long patients are signed off work for by their GPs for the same condition.

The study revealed that only one in 20 GPs accurately follows Government guidance on sickness leave. In fact, only one in three were aware that the Government actually had sick leave guidance at all.

In the study, researchers for the University of Manchester asked GPs from one English health trust how long they would sign patients off work for following a hernia repair, a hysterectomy and a heart attack.

For hernia repair operations, some GPs stated that they would sign patients off work for four to six weeks, while Government guidelines recommend only one to two weeks.

When asked how long they would sign off a patient following a hysterectomy, only a quarter of GPs replied with the suggested seven weeks, with other replies ranging from two to 13 weeks.

In addition, a third of the surveyed GPs said that heart attack victims should be off work for longer than the four to six weeks specified on the Department of Work and Pension’s website.

The study also revealed that almost two-thirds of GPs had not been given any training in sickness certification, and of those that had, the average time spent on the subject had been just four hours.

Dr Richard Roope, the leader of the study, indicated that the lack of consistency demonstrated by the study was not surprising given the level of training GPs had received.

“There is good evidence to show that work is generally good for health,” he explained, “We need to get across to GPs and patients alike that being signed off may actually be bad for the health of the patient, their employer and the country as a whole.”

Technorati Tags: GP Guidance, Sick Leave, Sick Notes