Sickness presenteeism in a New Zealand hospital.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of hospital clinical staff to acute personal illness.


METHODS
A self-reported questionnaire was developed. Four hundred clinical staff employed by the district health board (DHB) who met the inclusion criteria who were randomly selected. Data were collected and analysed using SPSS software. Ethical approval was obtained from the Lower South Regional Ethics Committee and from the DHB Health Research Office.


RESULTS
Doctors were more likely to exhibit sickness presenteeism (SP)--i.e. working despite being sick--than any other occupational group at the DHB. Two main reasons were given for not taking sick leave: staff did not believe they were unwell enough to justify taking leave and they did not want to increase the workload of others. The majority of study participants would not contact anyone for advice about whether to take leave.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that SP, especially in doctors, is prevalent in the DHB and is similar to findings from elsewhere. Low rates of clinical staff contacting someone for advice on coming to work whilst ill could be targeted to improve infection control.
Bracewell
Lisa M
LM
Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Campbell
Duncan I
DI
Faure
Palmira R
PR
Giblin
Emily R
ER
Morris
Tessa A
TA
Satterthwaite
Liyana B
LB
Simmers
Cameron D A
CD
Ulrich
Caroline M
CM
Holmes
John D
JD
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D020415:Personnel Downsizing / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000639:trends*; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*