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Patient's Guide - Your Stay at the Hospital - During Your Stay

Arts and Culture

Joy and laughter are important for health and recovery. The University Medical Center's Cultural Delight Group offers entertainment programmes which change on a monthly basis. The latest schedule of events can be found on posters around the hospital or at the Information Desk .

Cafeterias

There are a number of places at the University Medical Center where you can get warm meals, refreshments, coffee, cakes and snacks. During warmer seasons you can enjoy eating outside in the open-air. Newspapers, magazines and much more are available at kiosks around the hospital.

Cafeteria in the Staff Canteen (Personalkasino) on Killianstrasse

Cafeteria in the Neuro Center (Neurozentrum)

Kiosk in the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Frauenklinik)

Bistro between the Departments of Internal Medicine (Medizin) and Surgery (Chirurgie)

Café am Eck – Internal Medicine Department (Medizin)

Cafeteria in the Children’s Hospital (Kinderklinik)

Kiosk in the Children’s Hospital (Kinderklinik)

Cash Dispensers

If you need cash, you will find a Volksbank cash dispenser located on Hugstetter Strasse near the information desk at the Archway (Information am Torbogen). The nearest bank, Sparkasse, is at Friedrich-Ebert-Platz next to the tram stop.

For the Dermatology and Psychiatry Departments which are located off-campus, there are Volksbank and Sparkasse cash dispensers on Habsburger Strasse towards the city center.

Confidentiality

All employees of the University Medical Center are legally bound by the Confidentiality Act. All information you entrust with us will remain confidential and will not be shared with anyone, unless you give us your permission to release this information to named persons. Additional information can be found under Data Protection / Patient Privacy .

Data Protection / Patient Privacy

All personal information are subject to the Data Protection Act and will be handled in accordance with regulatory rules. This applies to your stay in the hospital and any time afterwards.

Dietary Requirements

If a special diet is necessary for your medical care, this will be organised by your ward physician. In addition, if you have special dietary requirements for other reasons, let us know and we can provide you with appropriate foods.

Emergency Patients

Emergency patients who are transported to the hospital by ambulance will be taken to the Emergency Department and then, if necessary, will be transferred to a hospital ward. If you come on your own to the hospital with an emergency, please report directly to the Emergency Department.

Explanations

Modern medical diagnoses and treatments cover a wide range of possibilities, often making it difficult for the lay person to comprehend everything. Furthermore, the medical jargon can be difficult to understand even by non-specialists. You have the right to be fully informed of your medical treatment plan. The University Medical Center physicians will provide detailed explanations of your illness and the treatment possibilities and plans. If there is information which is not clear, do not hesitate to ask.

Food and Drinks

Our hospital menu offers a variety of tasteful dishes for you to choose from, provided you do not have any special dietary requirements. Each morning, a staff member will ask you for your meal choices and she/he will order the food items from the kitchen. Some wards also provide breakfast and dinner buffets.

If you have any food allergies or if you do not wish to eat certain foods for personal reasons, please inform the nursing staff so that we can respect your wishes.

Foot Care

A professional chiropodist is available if required. The cost of this treatment is payable directly to the chiropodist.

Green Women and Men

Grüne Damen und Herren or the Green Women and Men are volunteers who make patients’ stay in the hospital more comfortable. You will recognise them by their green coats. They know their way around the hospital and, if requested, can accompany you to your examinations and treatments (e.g. ultrasound, X-ray, ECG, laboratory, etc.) and can even go for a short walk with you in the park. The Grüne Damen und Herren can discuss some of your concerns about your hospitalisation. They also organise entertainment programmes such as slide shows, travel reports and film or game evenings twice a month. The current programme may be found on notices around the wards and at the bottom of your menu.

These volunteers offer their support every weekday morning. Ask the nursing staff if you would like to contact them.

Hairdresser

Just because you are in the hospital does not mean you have to do without a hairdresser. There is a hair salon in the corridor on the ground floor between the Internal Medicine Department and the Surgery Department. The salon also specialises in wigs. You can contact the salon by phone at +49 761 270 6116.

Opening hours are:

Intensive Care Unit and Recovery Rooms

There are several intensive care and recovery wards at the University Medical Center Freiburg. Here, patients receive intensive monitaring and care. Visiting rules and hours in these wards are different. Please enquire at the respective ward.

Internet

Please have a look at the University Medical Center Freiburg internet website. Here, you will find useful information about the hospital as well as medical information. The website address is www.uniklinik-freiburg.de .

In certain wards of the hospital, you can access the internet in the common room or through a bedside connection. Please enquire with the ward if internet access is available.

Interpreters

If you have difficulties understanding things because you are not a native German speaker, the nursing staff on the ward can organise an interpreter for you. Interpreters can translate important medical and non-medical information.

Leave of Absence

During your stay, permission to temporarily leave the hospital will only be granted if it is absolutely necessary or if your treatment demands it. This is particularly the case for long term illnesses. Please discuss any wishes you may have regarding temporary leave of absence with the physician who is responsible for your treatment.

Lifts

When you are ill, getting around can be difficult. The hospital has numerous lifts which can help you reach your appointments more easily. These lifts are often used for moving sick patients and supplies, which could lead to delays. We trust you will understand.

Lost and Found

If you find an item that someone might have lost in the hospital, please turn it in to the nearest information desk. A staff member will take the item to the Lost and Found office. If you have lost something, you can contact the Lost and Found office by phone at +49 761 270 2176 or -6231, Monday to Friday 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00.

Medical Students

In addition to patient care, the medical faculty at the University Medical Center Freiburg is engaged in teaching and training medical students. These future physicians learn to recognise illnesses and to treat patients by working closely with the medical faculty in the hospital. Contact with medical students can also be interesting and help shorten the day in the hospital.

Medications

Please bring all medications which you regularly take at home with you to the ward, along with a schedule of when the medications are taken. Your ward physician will discuss with you whether it is necessary to continue these medications during your stay in the hospital.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones can affect the function and performance of medical equipments such as respirators, transfusion pumps and intravenous drips. For your safety and the safety of your fellow patients, mobile phones must be kept switched off in all buildings of the University Medical Center. If you would like to use a telephone, you can use the bedside telephone which is activated by a telephone card (see also Telephone ).

Nursing and Extra Care

When you come to the University Medical Center Freiburg, you might be in pain, feel insecure or worry about your health. To be able to plan your individual care, we rely on your input. Tell us about your needs and habits, so that we can look after you in the best possible way. Daily routine in a hospital is, however, frequently affected by diagnosis and therapy. For this reason, your routine could sometimes be changed. We hope you will understand.

Our qualified nursing staff takes care of your well-being around-the-clock. There is a qualified contact person on every shift with whom you can speak. If you have any wishes or suggestions, you can ask our nursing staff in full confidence.

Parks and Gardens

The parks and gardens of the University Medical Center Freiburg offer areas for relaxation and well-being. Please take the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our parks and gardens.

Pastoral Care

(see also Religious Worship )

Both Protestant and Catholic pastoral care are available to you during your hospital stay. The pastoral care staff members offer their time, support and share their beliefs and experiences with you. They concentrate on things which are important to you and which make a difference, such as your joys and sorrows and your hopes and fears. These caregivers believe that God is always with us and will pray with you or take sacrament.

You can get in touch with the pastoral staff at any time. The ward or information desk personnel can relay your request and the pastoral caregiver will visit you on your ward.

You can find prayer, silence and religious services in the Catholic church between the Internal Medicine and the Surgery Departments. The entrance is on the ground floor. The Protestant chapel, Emmauskapelle, is open round-the-clock and can be reached via the Czerny Ward in the Surgery Department. There is a quiet room on the top floor of the central building of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. The chapel for the off-campus departments can be found in the Department of Psychiatry on Hauptstrasse 5. The hospital’s churches and chapels are also open to the public throughout the day.

Patients’ Reading Service

If you enjoy reading, you can take advantage of the free patients’ reading service which has over 5,000 books. Every week in the main hospital, a staff member comes to your ward with a variety of novels, bestsellers, specialised books, detective novels, illustrated books and medical guidebooks. You can also get books in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, Turkish, Arabic and Russian. Finally, there are books on tapes and equipment that you need to listen to them.

The patients’ reading service is on the top floor of the Internal Medicine Department and is open Monday to Friday 8 – 9 and 14 – 15.

You can contact the patients’ reading service by phone at +49 761 270 3626. An answering machine can take your order any time. If you order before 15.00, you can get your books delivered to your room the same day.

Physician's Rounds

In order to avoid long waiting times to see the physician, it is advisable to remain in your room during the physician’s round. Your nursing team will give you the exact time of the physician’s visit to the ward. Please don’t hesitate to ask the physician any questions you may have. As the hospital also trains junior physicians, you could sometimes have several people standing around your bed during the round. We would like to ask for your understanding in this regard.

Post / Mail

The address of the University Medical Center Freiburg is:

To ensure that letters reach you in good time, the address should contain the following details: your department (for example Surgery Department "Chirurgische Klinik"), your ward and your room number.

An example the full address should look like this:

You can send letters from the hospital. You will find mail boxes around the hospital. The staff at our information desks can also take your letters or show you the location of the nearest mail box. Please make sure that your letters have the correct amount of stamp(s).

Quality Management

Quality management in a hospital means that the administration and organisation of the hospital operate to meet the needs of the patients and that hospital employees are satisfied and content in their work. Quality management of the University Medical Center Freiburg is overseen by an independent organisation. In April 2005, the University Medical Center Freiburg received the KTQ^® certificate.

The quality management team is also involved in ongoing improvements to optimise the Medical Center's performance for our patients. We need your suggestions and comments and we encourage you to use our PatientenEcho (Patient Feedback). Your written feedback is evaluated and improvements are introduced where applicable. You can use the attached sheet in this guidebook for your written feedback.

Religious Worship

(see also Pastoral Care )

Church services take place at the following times:

Smoking

Smoking can endanger your health and thus, is not permitted in the University Medical Center Freiburg buildings. If you need to smoke, we would ask you to do so, in the designated smoking areas. Please do not smoke in secret outside of the designated areas as this may potentially harm others and present a fire risk. If you would like the opportunity to stop smoking, we would be happy to help you. The hospital’s Naturopathy Department can be reached by phone at +49 761 270 5484.

Social Services

Illness can have a profound impact on a patient's personal and social situation. The Social Services Department can advise you on personal, social, financial or professional problems which might arise during your illness. The staff members can also help you initiate steps to find solutions to these problems as well as obtain legal information, make emergency visits, provide meals on wheels and family assistance and guide you to people and places for support and to Self-Help Groups.

Social Services can also assist in finding a nursing home or a short-term care facility. In addition, the department also organises medical rehabilitation and clarifies your health insurance company's and your pension provider's coverages. The physicians and the nursing staff will be happy to help you contact the Social Services Department.

Statement of Wishes / Medical Directive

Medical Directive

A medical directive, also known as a living will, is a statement of wishes by a patient for future treatment in the event that he/she is unable to express or participate in his/her health care decisions. With a medical directive you can, for example, declare if and to what extent extraordinary life saving measures should be undertaken in critical situations.

Transfer of Rights

With the transfer of rights you can give durable power of attorney to one or more persons to make decisions on your behalf in health matters when your are not in a position to express your wishes (§ 1904 Abs. 2 BGB).

Care Directive

A care directive is a statement of your preferences for guardianship and specific medical testing, procedures or treatments in the event that your are not able to communicate your health care decisions or wishes.

Telephone

All hospital rooms are equiped with telephones which are activated using telephone cards. These cards may be purchased from machines located at the entrance of the hospital. These machines also take back used cards and return your deposit and any money left on the card.

You will find the telephone number for your hospital room by the telephone on the desk. The number for incoming call is +49 761 270 plus this number.

You can get more information about telephone calls from the booklet which you will received on your admission to the hospital.

Transfers

During your stay in the hospital it may be necessary to transfer you to another ward or another department in order to give you the most appropriate treatment and care. In this case, your physician or nurse will speak to you about the transfer.

TV and Radio

In most rooms, complimentry radio and TV stations are available for your use. Because space is limited, we ask that you do not bring your own equipment.

The hospital has its own television channel called Klinik-Haus-Kanal. This channel provides a variety of programmes round-the-clock. Medical information as well as information about the hospital and its facilities and entertaining short films are shown on this channel.

You can find more information about the hospital's TV channel on the website www.klinik-haus-kanal.uniklinik-freiburg.de .

Every workday at 11.30 a.m., patients in the hospital can receive a live half hour radio programme, called amPuls (on the pulse). Here, information about the hospital, medical articles and topics which are of interest to patients are combined with entertainment programmes. The amPuls is an integral part of the Radio Station Suedwestrundfunk and can be received on Channel 1 (Kanal 1) on the radio next to the bed.

Visitors

Your visitors are welcome at the University Medical Center Freiburg. Visiting hours are variable and depend on the ward. For the intensive care units and the recovery rooms, visiting times are regulated separately and may be more restricted. Please be considerate of your fellow patients and look after yourself. If visitors are too strenuous for you, reduce the visiting hours.

The University Medical Center Freiburg provides low-priced accommodations for visitors if they would like to stay near you. Details can be found at the information desk (see also Information Desk ). You can also take advantage of this service if you would like to arrive before your scheduled admission.

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