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Objective. To describe Swedish nurses’ experience of managing sick-listing issues in telephone advisory services in a primary health care setting.

Design. The study was a qualitative focus group study.

Setting. Data collection was conducted in three focus group conversations in a county in central Sweden in 2009. The conversations were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Subjects. The study included fourteen nurses, purposively sampled as having current experience of telephone advisory services at primary health care centers.

Main outcome measures. How nurses experience and handle sick-listing issues in telephone advisory services.

Results. Nurses’ management of sick-listing issues was described in three themes: the Nurses Actions which are affected by Enabling conditions and Obstructing conditions. The Nurses’ Actions included making an assessment for appropriate action, making an appointment and/or giving information and guidance to the patient and/or monitoring patient’s rights. Enabling conditions included documentation, routines, supportive co-operation and training in insurance medicine. The obstructing conditions were related to patients’ expectations, co-operation with other professionals, lack of training and the nurses’ professional role.

Conclusion. The nurses demonstrated difficulties to find themselves as active care-givers in health care of sick-listed patients. They also experienced difficulties due to lack of training and the need to balance demands from the organisation and the patient. By engaging nurses more consciously in the sick-listing process a new perspective will be added in care of sick-listed patients.