Family physicians health-related absenteeism at the Al-Wazarat Healthcare Center

BACKGROUND: In general, physicians and family physicians more specifically tend to treat themselves in an informal matter. The evidence suggests that family physicians have a tendency not to consult other physicians while they are sick and tend to self-treat. Health-related absenteeism among family physicians in primary care settings is an issue that needs to be addressed. AIM: The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of health-related absenteeism among family physicians in Al-Wazarat Health Center and to investigate the medical causes associated with sickness absence. METHODS: The study used cross-sectional design to investigate the prevalence of health-related absenteeism among family physicians in a primary care setting. RESULTS: The study included 108 physicians from the Al-Wazarat Healthcare Center in Riyadh, KSA. On average, the physicians were absent for 2 days over the last year with 53.3% (64/108) have no health-related absence days. The most common recorded reasons for work absence are the severity of illness 75.0% (81/108) and workload 63.0% (68/108). Influenza was the most common health condition that causes absenteeism 60.2% (65/108). The attitude toward working while ill scored 2.3 ± 2.5, being responsible for affecting the patients if working while ill 8.0 ± 2.8, physicians with chronic diseases should stay away from work 3.7 ± 3.7, and the quality of healthcare service could be affected by the physician's illness 7.5 ± 2.5. CONCLUSIONS: Further investigations are needed for more understanding of the physicians’ tendencies and casual approach toward working with illness. Such understanding will help to formulate better guidelines for medical practices.