Does medical certification of workers with injuries influence patterns of health service use?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Among workers with injuries who seek compensation, a general practitioner (GP) usually plays an important role in a person's return to work (RTW) by advising if the worker is unfit for work (UFW), is able to work on alternate (ALT) duties or is fit for work and also providing referrals to other health service providers. OBJECTIVE: To examine patterns of health service utilization (HSU) in workers with injuries by condition and type of certificate issued by GP. METHODS: Zero-inflated negative binomial and logistic regressions were conducted for major healthcare services accessed over the 12-month period post-initial medical examination. Services included GP consultations, pharmacy..