Changes in the number of days of paid sick leave for viral infection in General Medical Practices

The aim of the current research is to determine the difference in the number of days of paid sick leave for viral infection among patients coded by General Practitioners (GPs), based on the practice’s characteristics. We used the data of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary for our research. The B300 report on GP practices, the data of the 18-64 age group encoded with a viral infection (J1000-J1180 or B2500-B3490), the number of days of paid sick leave and the characteristics of the practice (gender, age and of the GP, vacancy of GP's position) were used. The regional distribution of the number of days of paid sick leave and the practice characteristics were assessed through indirect standardization by age and gender. The relative proportion of days of paid sick leave per case was significantly higher than the national average in practices with female GPs, vacant practices, and where the GP was over 65 years of age. Based on these findings, decision makers should pay attention to decrease the number of vacant practices, and it would be important to find incentives for more young doctors to choose this field.