In an effort to ease the administrative workload on doctors, Ontario plans to get rid of sick note requirements for short absences.
Part of new legislation tabled by the province’s minister of labour, the change will no longer let employers require a doctor’s note from employees who want to use part or all of their provincially-mandated three days of annual sick leave.
The amendment is one of many measures Health Minister Sylvia Jones states aims to help reduce the amount of time doctors are spending in front of a computer, allowing them more time for direct patient care.
A pilot program will also test the use of artificial intelligence technology to transcribe and summarize patient visits, with around 150 primary care clinics participating in the project.
Ontario also plans to digitize more referral and consultation forms, which should further help lighten the workload.
“Together these changes put patients before paperwork, allowing clinicians to spend more time with their patients, resulting in a more connected and convenient patient care experience,” Jones stated.
According to Ontario Medical Association president Andrew Park, primary care physicians average around 19 hours a week carrying out administrative duties on the screen, which is almost as much time as they do in person with patients.
Often, patients in Ontario are also charged a fee upwards of $25 for obtaining a sick note from their doctor, as OHIP does not compensate them for providing the non-medical service.
This amendment will do away with that hassle, as well as relieve doctors who are spending the additional time to write and issue the notes.
However, according to a spokeswoman for the labour minister, employers will still retain the right to require another form of evidence the employee is ill, whether it be a self-attestation or a receipt for over-the-counter medication.