Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities

• You are entitled to be informed about available treatment options and typical risks associated with them.
  Of course, you may involve a trusted person of your choice at any time for support or consultation.
• We are only permitted to carry out medical examinations and treatments with your prior consent.
• If you are under the age of 18, your attending physician must assess whether you are capable of consenting to the proposed treatment yourself, or whether the consent of your legal representative is required. The same applies if your ability to understand or make decisions is impaired for other reasons—such as intellectual disability or mental illness.
• If you lack the capacity to understand and make informed decisions, and there is no binding advance directive or valid healthcare proxy in place, consent must be obtained from a legally authorized representative.
• If delaying treatment would pose a danger to your life or risk serious health consequences, the physician may proceed without your prior consent. In such cases, your doctor must make decisions that are in your best interest and for your well-being.
• If you wish, you may also leave the hospital against medical advice. In this case, you must first be informed of all potential health risks and confirm this in writing (discharge against medical advice form).

• Your medical condition is the sole basis for determining your treatment and care. You will receive inpatient medical care, nursing, and meals for as long as it is deemed medically necessary.
• Public hospitals are obligated to provide immediate and essential first aid to all patients. Emergency patients must be admitted at any time. If no bed is available in the appropriate ward class, you will be accommodated in a special class without any additional charge until a regular bed becomes available.
• Mothers (as accompanying persons) and their newborns must be admitted together. In all other cases, accompanying persons can only be admitted if hospital facilities allow.
• All medical examinations and treatments provided in hospitals must follow the principles and recognized methods of medical science.
• Discharge from the hospital will take place once an in-house medical assessment determines that inpatient care is no longer necessary. Before each discharge, your state of health will be evaluated.
• Upon request, you are entitled to receive a certificate confirming the duration of your hospital stay. You also have the right to receive a discharge letter.
• If a patient is unable to care for themselves and cannot be taken in by relatives or close contacts, the social welfare authority responsible for the hospital’s location must be notified in good time prior to discharge.

• You have the right to be treated with respect, care, and consideration.
• You have the right to adequate protection of your privacy, even in shared rooms.
• Hospitals are committed to ensuring that rooms for hospitalized children are appropriately child-friendly and designed with their needs in mind.
• You have the right to maintain sufficient contact with the outside world.
  Should your health condition worsen significantly, trusted persons are permitted to maintain contact with you even outside of visiting hours.
• Upon request, you may receive support from psychologically trained staff.
• You may also request spiritual care if desired.
• The hospital is obliged to ensure that patients are able to die with dignity.
• Trusted individuals must be allowed to maintain contact with dying patients.

You have the right to access your medical records, including details about your treatment and its course. Upon request, you may receive a copy of your medical records for a fee.

• All staff members working in a hospital are bound by confidentiality. This obligation covers all information related to your health condition, as well as your personal, financial, and other circumstances that become known to them in the course of your treatment.
• Exceptions to this duty of confidentiality are strictly regulated by law. There is no obligation to maintain confidentiality if you have given consent for your data or information to be shared (release from confidentiality).
• Your patient data is subject to special protection and may only be used—meaning processed or transmitted—by the hospital as necessary to fulfill its duties. Any data processing must be limited to what is essential and use the least intrusive means available.
• Upon request, you are entitled to be informed by the hospital about which of your data is being processed and to whom it has been transmitted.
• You have the right to request the correction of incorrect data.
• Hospitals are authorized to transmit anonymized personal data of patients to healthcare training institutions for educational purposes.

Note:
Hospitals operate a patient information system (e.g., porter or chaplaincy lists) for managing inquiries about a patient's presence. If you do not wish for any information about your stay to be disclosed to third parties, please notify the staff during the admission process.

• You have the right to access information regarding your patient rights. The hospital is required to inform you or your relatives, or to provide the contact details of a person or office that is available to assist you with information, complaints, or suggestions.
• We make every effort to provide you with access to brochures, hospital regulations, and both general and ward-specific information. These materials include introductions to staff members, an overview of available services, as well as details on visiting regulations, meal times and ward rounds. Please feel free to ask for them during your stay.

• To ensure the best possible recovery process, you are also expected to follow certain guidelines. These include, in particular, adhering to the prescribed treatment plan, cooperating with physicians and nursing staff during the course of your recovery, refraining from the use of nicotine, alcohol, and drugs, and complying with necessary organizational procedures related to hospital operations.
• You are also expected to behave appropriately toward fellow patients and hospital staff and to respect their rights. Additionally, the general rules outlined in the hospital regulations—clearly posted throughout the facility—apply.
• Please observe these responsibilities to help support both your own recovery and that of your fellow patients.

In the interest of ensuring the best possible treatment and care for our patients, it is necessary to follow the instructions of the staff. Individuals who refuse to comply with instructions despite a warning, or who seriously violate the hospital's rules, may be expelled from the hospital—except in cases where treatment cannot be refused.

1. Access to and use of the hospital premises and its facilities is only permitted to the extent authorized by the hospital administration and is at your own risk. Access restrictions and prohibitions, especially for certain high-risk areas, must be observed.
2. When parking vehicles on hospital grounds, please follow the applicable parking and garage regulations.
3. Animals are only allowed in the hospital premises with the express permission of the staff, with the exception of designated assistance or therapy dogs.
4. For hygiene reasons, some areas may be marked with a strict prohibition on animals.
5. Please keep the hospital facilities, equipment, and premises clean. Personal hygiene must be maintained; otherwise, treatment may be refused—except in emergencies.
6. The hospital assumes no liability for valuables. Please bring only essential items and refrain from bringing jewelry, large sums of money, or other valuables.
7. The carrying of dangerous objects is strictly limited to authorized personnel (security services, law enforcement, judicial officers) in the course of their official duties.
8. Activities posing a fire hazard are strictly prohibited. In case of fire, please activate the nearest fire alarm and inform the staff immediately.
9. Smoking (including the use of e-cigarettes) is only permitted in designated smoking areas. Please note that smoking is harmful and may compromise treatment outcomes.
10. The presence of visibly intoxicated individuals on hospital premises is prohibited.
11. Begging, peddling, commercial activities, events, assemblies, postings, and any form of advertising are only permitted with the express approval of the hospital administration.
12. Please observe mobile phone restrictions in marked areas.
13. Potted plants are not allowed in patient rooms.
14. Photography, filming, and audio recordings within the hospital facilities are only permitted with prior approval from the hospital administration or the management of the respective department.
15. For the well-being of our patients, please observe quiet times and avoid noise and disruptive behavior.
16. Please adhere to the visiting hours and regulations of each ward and avoid large groups of visitors. Staff may limit visiting times and the number of visitors in the interest of patients and to ensure smooth hospital operations.
17. Verbal or physical assaults and any other abusive behavior will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to protect everyone on hospital premises.