Reporting for duty-sick or not

Although many physicians advise patients to stay home and rest when they are sick, most physicians would not take their own advice. According to a study by researchers of at the University of California Irvine, 96% of physicians and medical students would work if they had a cold. The findings, which were based on a survey of nearly 500 physicians at the university’s academic medical center, also found that 77% said they would work if they had diarrhea and 36% would report to work with the flu.

The physicians surveyed said they were reluctant to call out sick because it would result in more work for colleagues. They would be more willing to call out if they saw sick colleagues being sent home or if they knew there were no negative repercussions to taking a day off.

Source: MD Magazine