Bridging the chasm

摘要

As a former manager in a multinational manufacturing company, I find the concept of a fit note laudable.1 As a medical student currently on elective in occupational health, I can seethe resources and knowledge required to make it work is more like bridging a chasm than a gap. Most of the employers I have spoken to are frustrated with the current sick note system and general practitioners' readiness to sign people off. Most of the general practitioners I have spoken to are frustrated that they don't know enough about a patient's work content or work environment to do otherwise. This knowledge gap is not surprising—most medical students do not study occupational health—but it should be rectified. Some excellent postgraduate courses are available, but only one (at Manchester) allows distance learning. Perhaps the government should encourage general practitioners to complete courses and enter into appropriate dialogue with their patients' employers.