RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access 1

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground It is documented that the sickness absence in the work-force sectors with higher rate of self-employment is lower than in the public sector [1]. In Norway, hospital doctors are salaried employees with no salary reduction during sickness absence, whereas private practice special-ists and general practitioners (GPs) as self-employed may contract economic losses during their eventual sickness absence, with 16 waiting days and a compensation of 40% of gross profit, with an annual maximum of NOK 711,900 in 2010 (EUR 93,680; GBP 76,020) [2,3]. An additional dif-ference between the two groups exists in the commitment for continuous patient care. If absent from work, private practitioners must usually find a locum as opposed to employed hospital doctors [2]. This can be a challenge, as most GPs and private practice specialists work alone or in small groups, with an increasing demand for GPs and pri-vate practice specialists in Norway [4]. * Correspondence: judith.rosta@legeforeningen.noextent explain this finding.Judith Rosta1*, Gunnar Tellnes2 and Olaf G Aasland1,2 Background: Doctors have a low prevalence of sickness absence. Employment status is a determinant in the multifactorial background of sickness absence. The effect of doctors ’ employment status on sickness absence is unexplored. The study compares the number of sickness absence days during the last 12 months and the impact of employment status, psychosocial work stress, self-rated health and demographics on sickness absence between self-employed practitioners and employed hospital doctors in Norway. Methods: The study population consisted of a representative sample of 521 employed interns and consultants and 313 self-employed GPs and private practice specialists in Norway, who received postal questionnaires in 2010. The questionnaires contained items on sickness absence days during the last 12 months, employment status, demographics, self-rated health, professional autonomy and psychosocial work stress