Upmark Marianne, Borg Karin, Alexanderson Kristina
Section of Personal Injury Prevention, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Instituter, Stockholm, Sweden.
Scand J Public Health. 2007;35(6):577-84. doi: 10.1080/14034940701362194.
In most countries there are gender differences in sickness absence and in absentees' return to work (RTW). According to different theories sick-listed persons' experiences of encounters with healthcare professionals can influence self-esteem and RTW. The aim was to analyse gender differences in sickness absentees' experiences of negative encounters with healthcare professionals.
A questionnaire, comprising numerous questions on experiences of positive and negative encounters with professionals, was constructed and sent to 10,100 individuals who had been on sick leave for the last 6-8 months. The response rate was 58% (n = 5,802).
Almost one-third (32%) of the female respondents and one-quarter of the male (24%), respectively, had experienced negative encounters. The most common of such experiences among both women and men were: that they were treated with indifference, with disrespect, that the professional did not take his/her time, did not listen, did not believe in, or doubted complaints. In regression analyses the women had higher significant crude odds ratios, ranging from 1.29 to 1.71, for agreeing to the separate statements on negative encounters. When adjusting for age, ethnicity, and level of education the gender differences were still significant for 14 of the 23 the statements.
Women's high rate of sickness absence is considered a problem in most countries. The subjective experiences of women are an important factor to consider in efforts aiming at reducing the sick-leave rates. One important endeavour among professionals in healthcare could be to shift the focus towards a more empowering professional role.
在大多数国家，病假缺勤情况以及缺勤者返回工作岗位（RTW）存在性别差异。根据不同理论，列入病假名单的人员与医护人员接触的经历会影响自尊和返回工作岗位的情况。目的是分析病假缺勤者与医护人员负面接触经历中的性别差异。
编制了一份问卷，其中包含许多关于与专业人员正面和负面接触经历的问题，并发送给了在过去6 - 8个月休病假的10100人。回复率为58%（n = 5802）。
分别有近三分之一（32%）的女性受访者和四分之一（24%）的男性受访者经历过负面接触。在男性和女性中，此类经历最常见的是：他们受到冷漠对待、不尊重，专业人员没有花时间、不听、不相信或怀疑他们的投诉。在回归分析中，女性对于关于负面接触的单独陈述表示认同的显著粗略比值比更高，范围从1.29到1.71。在对年龄、种族和教育水平进行调整后，23项陈述中有14项的性别差异仍然显著。
在大多数国家，女性高病假缺勤率被视为一个问题。在旨在降低病假率的努力中，女性的主观经历是一个需要考虑的重要因素。医护专业人员的一项重要工作可能是将重点转向更具赋权作用的专业角色。
