Sickness Absence and Its Impact on Work Activity

What you will learn

Sickness absence is one of the most mismanaged areas of occupational health in Ghana — not from negligence, but from the absence of a structured framework. This course gives you one.

In one session, you will understand how absence is classified, measured, and certified globally; why Ghana’s current approach leaves both patients and employers exposed; how to apply the Bradford Score and issue clinically defensible sickness certifications; and what the shift from excuse duty to fit notes means for your practice — and for the workplaces you serve.

Does this apply to you?

If any of the following sounds familiar, it does.

A patient requests three days off work. The clinical picture is ambiguous. The employer needs documentation by morning. You issue the note — but is the duration right? Is the restriction appropriate? Are you protecting the patient, or enabling a pattern?

These are not edge cases. They are routine. And they carry clinical, legal, and ethical weight that most practitioners navigate without formal training.

This course addresses that gap directly.

Course outline

• Definitions and classification
• Global and Ghanaian perspectives
• Sickness certification in practice
• The Bradford Score
• Financial and productivity impact
• Policy recommendations for Ghanaian workplaces

Who attends

Medical officers, general practitioners, occupational health nurses, and allied health professionals seeking structured CPD credit toward licence renewal — and a framework they can apply the next working day.