Has there been a change in the rates of UK sickness certification for back pain over time? An examination of historical data from 2000 to 2010.
OBJECTIVE
This paper aims to investigate historical patterns of sickness certification for back pain from 2000 to 2010.


METHODS
Electronic medical records from 14 practices that are part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network: West Midlands were reviewed. All records for back pain consultations from 2000 to 2010 were downloaded and matched, by date, to corresponding sickness certification records.


METHODS
Primary Care.


RESULTS
A total of 93,896 back pain consultations were recorded over the 11-year period, resulting in 30,913 sickness certificates. There was a statistically significant decrease in the rate of certification over the period, falling from 376.8 (95% CI 362.1 to 392) per 1000 back pain consultations in 2000 to 246.5 (95% CI 236.5 to 332.9) per 1000 back pain consultations in 2010. There was also a statistically significant difference in certification between males and females, with males issued more certificates than females. There was a statistically significant difference in certification by age, with those aged 60 years and over being less likely to be issued a certificate compared to all other age groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Rates of sickness certification for back pain demonstrated a downward trend between 2000 and 2010. While the reasons for this are not transparent, it may be related to changing beliefs around working with back pain.
Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences, Keele University, Keele, UK.
Gwenllian
G
Wynne-Jones
Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences, Keele University, Keele, UK.
Kate M
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6202-2606
KM
Dunn
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019985:Benchmarking; D002568:Certification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011634:Public Health / Q000639:trends*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000639:trends*; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000639:trends*; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
Absence; EPIDEMIOLOGY; Rate