A new study has been launched to discover the best way to use doctor's fit notes using the perspectives of employers, GPs and patients.
The research, led by The University of Nottingham and commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) aims to produce recommendations for the appropriate implementation of fit notes as well as informing training for employers and GPs in their usage.
As Cover's sister title WSB reported in June, employers said the government's fit note was failing in returning employees to work successfully, in contrast to 71% of workers who agreed that the tool had been helpful in getting them back into the workplace.
The GP fit note was introduced three years ago in place of the old sickness certificate. Under the system, GPs are encouraged to suggest adjustments to employees' work that will enable them to carry on working or return as soon as possible.
The project's senior research fellow Carol Coole said that research into long-term work incapacity demonstrated that the longer people were on sick leave, the less likely they were to return to work.
"There is an indirect link between our research and long-term benefit recipients. Most work is good for our health and often people with health conditions can stay at work - or return to work - through quite simple measures," she explained.
The researchers are currently gathering information from employees, employers and GPs to gain individuals' experience of the fit note.
Between April and July 2014, there will be a second phase of the study including a panel of people involved in the fit note process, with the purpose of reaching an agreement on how communication is facilitated with the fit note, good practice in the fit note's completion and identifying the basis of a training programme for GPs and employers.
The final report on both phases of the study will be submitted at the end of September 2014.
IOSH research and services manager Jane White said: "The first 4-6 weeks of a person being absent from work is a critical window, and without proactive intervention this could lead to long term sickness absence.
"Therefore the doctor's fit note is a vital link between a person, their employer, and them going to work with the right support when they are able. So we need to ensure that it works as effectively as it should, and this research plays an important role in doing that."
