Onderzoek naar interdoktervariatie bij beoordelingen van verzekeringsartsen [A study of the assessment behaviour of insurance physicians]
article
The aim of this study is to determine the extent and the associated factors of systematic variations in the disability assessments of long-term sick-listed employees by Dutch insurance physicians (IP’s). Variables from a questionnaire survey among IPs, based on the ‘Attitude - Social norm - self-Efficacy’ (ASE) model, were linked to the outcomes of the disability assessments. We performed multilevel analyses on the data provided by 196 IPs and 83,755 assessments in the period 2003-2008 and we calculated Intra Class Correlations (ICCs). The characteristics, opinions and self-reported assessment behaviour of IPs showed very little association with the outcomes of their disability assessments. Our study uncovered small to moderate systematic variations, comparable to those in other medical professions, especially for working hour restrictions and the severity of the functional incapacity. We found no indications of other reasons for these variations. They may be related to work routines or to differing views on the ‘normal’ employee’s workload. Further research is needed to determine whether guidelines could reduce these systematic variations.
TNO Identifier
470891
Source
TBV: Tijdschrift voor bedrijfs- en verzekeringsgeneeskunde, 21(2), pp. 61-68.
Pages
61-68