Doctor and pharmacy in German: explaining what hurts

💡 Words for urgency: dringend, heute noch, akut. If there are no appointments, ask Gibt es eine Akutsprechstunde? (is there a walk-in session for acute cases).

💡 At the desk you give your name and appointment time and hand over the Gesundheitskarte; then you are asked to sit in the Wartezimmer (waiting room).

💡 New patients fill in an Anmeldebogen (form): name, address, health insurer, medication and illnesses; you may ask for help.

💡 Useful words: Halsschmerzen (sore throat), Husten (cough), Schnupfen (runny nose), Fieber (fever), Kopfschmerzen (headache).

💡 Wo tut es weh? is where does it hurt; Seit wann? since when; stark strong; stechend, dumpf stabbing, dull pain.

💡 Nehmen Sie Medikamente? means do you take medication; Sind Sie allergisch gegen etwas? are you allergic to anything; Vorerkrankungen are previous illnesses.

💡 The doctor issues the sick note (Krankschreibung, AU); today it mostly goes to the employer electronically, but ask whether you need a paper copy.

💡 The prescription is mostly electronic today (E-Rezept): the pharmacy reads it from the Gesundheitskarte.

💡 Impfpass is the vaccination record; bring it: the doctor will enter the new vaccination. If you don't have one, the doctor will issue a new one.

💡 During the examination the doctor says: Machen Sie den Oberkörper frei, Atmen Sie tief ein und aus, Husten Sie bitte; it is over in a few minutes.

💡 The practice gives test results by phone or at an appointment; if something is off, the doctor asks you to come in; ask about the Befund (findings) and write down the answers.

💡 For repeat medicine (Folgerezept) you often do not need an appointment: name the drug at reception; the prescription (E-Rezept) is loaded electronically onto your card or into an app.

💡 Bring your vaccination record (Impfpass), even a Ukrainian one: the doctor will check what is missing; a tetanus booster is recommended every ten years.

💡 For many specialists you need a referral (Überweisung) from the family doctor; with it you book the appointment.

💡 If the appointment is far away, ask about the Warteliste (waiting list) and cancellations; calling early in the morning often helps. The 116 117 service also helps find an appointment.

💡 Kinderarzt is the paediatrician. Questions about the child: Wie alt ist Ihr Kind? (how old) and Wie hoch ist das Fieber? (how high is the fever).

💡 Vorsorgeuntersuchung is a preventive check-up; many are paid by the Krankenkasse. Ask: Wird das von der Kasse bezahlt?

💡 Your fund pays for a yearly gynaecological check-up (Vorsorge); at the first visit bring your Gesundheitskarte and tell them about earlier check-ups.

💡 The Augenarzt tests your eyesight (Sehtest) and you buy glasses at an Optiker with a prescription (Brillenverordnung); the fund pays part of the cost only in certain cases.

💡 Physiotherapy (Physiotherapie) is prescribed by a doctor; the prescription must be used within a limited time, so book quickly; bring your card, the prescription and a towel.

💡 At the pharmacy just hand over the Gesundheitskarte: the E-Rezept is read from it. For some medicines you pay a small co-payment (Zuzahlung).

💡 rezeptfrei means without prescription, rezeptpflichtig only with a prescription; ask Haben Sie etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen? The pharmacist will advise and warn about side effects.

💡 dreimal täglich is three times a day, vor dem Essen before food, nach dem Essen after, mit viel Wasser with plenty of water; the package has a Beipackzettel (leaflet).

💡 When in doubt ask the pharmacist: Kann ich das zusammen mit ... nehmen? is a normal question; the pharmacy helps with this free of charge.

💡 The night and weekend pharmacy is the Notdienst-Apotheke; its address is posted on the door of every pharmacy and on aponet.de.

💡 Schnupfen is a runny nose, Husten a cough, Halsschmerzen a sore throat; each has its own remedy: Nasenspray, Hustensaft, Halstabletten.

💡 You pay a Zuzahlung (ten percent of the price, between five and ten euros); children under eighteen do not pay; for high medicine costs there is a limit (Belastungsgrenze) and your fund can give you an exemption.

💡 A child's dose depends on weight: the pharmacist will write it on a slip; use the measuring cup from the packet; if the fever lasts more than two days, see the paediatrician.

💡 Notaufnahme is the emergency department, Krankenhaus the hospital, Rettungsstelle (in Berlin) the same; on signs look for Notaufnahme or a red cross.

💡 Useful words: gefallen (fallen), verletzt (injured), gebrochen (broken), geschwollen (swollen), Schmerzen (pain).

💡 In the emergency department the order depends on severity, not arrival time; asking about waiting is normal.

💡 Kind is child, Sturz a fall, Beule a bump, bewusstlos unconscious. Say straight away whether the child was unconscious.

💡 When you leave hospital (Entlassung) you get an Arztbrief (a letter for your family doctor): give it to your doctor and keep a copy for yourself.

💡 At night and at weekends, when practices are closed, call 116 117 (the on-call doctor service); in a life-threatening situation call 112.

💡 The Bereitschaftspraxis (on-call practice) is open evenings and weekends; 116 117 tells you the address and hours; bring the Gesundheitskarte.

💡 Zahnarzt is dentist, Zahnschmerzen toothache, Füllung filling, Kontrolle check-up; with strong pain say akute Schmerzen.

💡 For a blood test you often have to come nüchtern (on an empty stomach) and with a referral; check with the doctor or by phone.

💡 A dental check-up (Kontrolle) twice a year is covered by insurance and entered in the Bonusheft; professional cleaning (Zahnreinigung) often costs extra, but the fund may pay part of it.

💡 After a filling under local anaesthetic do not eat for at least two hours and do not bite your lip or tongue; Füllung is a filling, Betäubung is anaesthetic.