Restricting Sick Notes

Doctors of BC believes that requirements for employees to provide sick notes to satisfy an employer’s medical absenteeism policy is often an inefficient use of physicians’ time, places an avoidable burden on health sector resources, and unnecessarily exposes the population to communicable diseases by forcing ill patients to leave their homes. As such, Doctors of BC recommends that the provincial government restrict public and private sector employers’ ability to require sick notes to circumstances where a patient has taken extended leave and where a physician can provide meaningful clinical insight.