Berlin emergency rooms often used for non-emergencies

According to the Berlin Hospital Association, many patients in Berlin's rescue centers are not medical emergencies.

"Experience often shows that people use the rescue center as a catch basin," said Marc Schreiner, Managing Director of the Berlin Hospital Association, to the German Press Agency.

To the emergency room with a prescription request

Some people come in, for example, because a rib is still hurting after a two-week-old sports injury or an operation scar from six months ago. Sometimes they simply want a prescription or an injection for a medication. There are also many acute social cases, such as homeless people who need new clothes or food.

One third of patients are admitted as inpatients

"We take the perceived suffering of our patients very seriously," emphasized Schreiner, but: "These are needs that are wonderfully taken care of in the outpatient area, but do not belong in the acute outpatient care of an emergency department." A random survey of Berlin providers revealed that around a third of patients treated in the central emergency departments are admitted as inpatients. Of the remaining cases, around a further third could have visited a GP practice at a later date, according to the information provided.

Only 8 percent dial 116 117 in advance

Many people in Berlin go straight to the emergency room without seeking medical advice first, as a recent survey by AOK Nordost shows. Around 500 people aged 18 and over were surveyed. The survey was conducted by the opinion research institute Forsa. Slightly less than half of those surveyed had visited an emergency room independently at least once in the past five years at the time of the survey. Of these, one in four (26 percent) stated that they had been sent to the emergency room by a doctor. Only 8 percent had previously obtained an initial assessment via 116 117, the telephone number of the medical on-call service. 42 percent said that they had felt too unwell to wait. Multiple answers were possible.

"Real emergencies have priority in the rescue center"

"The staff can barely keep up with looking after people," said Schreiner. "Priority in the emergency department is given to real emergencies. This can lead to long waiting times, even for painful treatment needs. This is of course an unpleasant situation for everyone. We urgently need better patient management, including treatment by doctors in private practice." In life-threatening cases, patients should call the emergency services on 112. Outside office hours, 116 117 helps with illnesses with which patients would otherwise go to the doctor's office. There are several emergency practices for adults and children in Berlin.