RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate which ethical considerations play a role in the assessment of absenteeism due to sickness and of disability, and how these are dealt with. DESIGN: Qualitative, exploratory study. METHOD: We conducted interviews with 32 individual professional practitioners: 8 occupational health physicians, 8 insurance company physicians, 8 general practitioners, and 8 psychologists, with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire. During the interview we differentiated between 4 clusters of questions referring to the ethical, legal, interdisciplinary, and professional context, respectively. The study revealed only the spectrum of ethical considerations that played a role, and not the representativeness. For this reason the results did not allow for quantitative conclusions. RESULTS: Differences in the manner of thinking and behaving between health-care providers stem from differences in ethical considerations and in background beliefs. These differences hinder effective cooperation within the occupational health sector. CONCLUSION: To improve professional performance and to achieve more responsible decision-making those involved need to be aware of their ethical considerations and background beliefs and to make them explicit, possibly with the aid of a checklist.
