Doctors Manitoba established this initiative to respond to concerns from physicians, as well as from employers, unions, HR experts and others about the role doctors’ notes and medical advice plays in our society. 

Employers, educational institutions, and other organizations make requests for medical information and advice thousands of times every day. Growing research is showing that some of these requests are not effective and waste limited health resources, while others are legitimate but could be improved. 

Sick notes are an example of ineffective and wasteful requests. They have become a common tool to verify a short term illness- or injury-related absence from work. Research has shown they aren’t effective as an HR approach to verifying an absence, and they waste valuable health care resources. Our initiative aims to eliminate sick notes, and support employers in replacing them with more effective alternatives.

Other doctors’ notes and medical certificates are vital, helping to inform decisions about accommodating limitations or disabilities, or a safe return-to-work. However, the current processes often don’t work well for the doctor, the patient who is also a worker or student, and the employer or educational institution that needs the information. Our initiative will be creating standard approaches for the most common requests, in partnership with occupational medicine, human resource, legal, labour, and employer experts. 

The cornerstone of the Doctors’ Notes initiative is collaboration. An Advisory Group has been created to support this, including a cross section of leaders from business, employer, labour, government, and industry organizations, as well as physicians. 

Our Funders

In addition to internal resources from Doctors Manitoba, this initiative is supported by a significant grant. The Canadian Medical Association, MD Financial Management Inc., and Scotiabank proudly support Well Doc Alberta, one of several initiatives that comprise their $115 million commitment to supporting the medical profession and advancing health in Canada.