When to Call an Emergency Doctor? Medical On-Call Services in Berlin

Follow the dispatcher's five W questions on the phone: where did it happen, what happened, how many people are affected, which injuries, and wait for follow-up questions. Do not hang up until the control centre releases the call.

• For unconsciousness with breathing: recovery position
• For cardiac arrest: start chest compressions immediately, about 100–120 per minute
• For severe bleeding: apply firm pressure to the wound
• For shock: elevate the legs, keep the person warm and reassure them

The statutory response time in Berlin under the Berlin Rescue Services Act is generally eight minutes from the emergency call for life-threatening deployments. In practice the actual arrival time varies with traffic, time of day and call volume. State your exact location and the patient's condition so the dispatcher can prioritise correctly.

Driving yourself to the emergency room makes sense only when your condition is stable and no deterioration is expected during the journey. The emergency room is designed for serious, acute cases with access to laboratory, CT, X-ray and surgery: deep cuts, fractures, severe abdominal pain without signs of shock. If there is danger to life or the condition could turn during the trip, never drive yourself, then 112 applies without exception.

Berlin emergency rooms are chronically overloaded: according to a report by the B.Z., out of roughly 1.2 million patients at Berlin hospital emergency departments, about 680,000 were sent home again without inpatient treatment, predominantly outpatient cases. For exactly these cases, the house call and the on-call service are the faster choice; see the comparison of all care routes.

The statutory on-call service, officially the medical on-call service of the KV Berlin, is reachable nationwide on 116 117 and free of charge for statutory patients. RAB Arztbesuche is not the KV service but a private house-call service billed under the GOÄ, operating daily from 6 am to midnight as a no-wait alternative.

The on-call service provides outpatient care outside regular office hours. It must be clearly distinguished from emergency medicine: that is reached via 112 and is intended for life-threatening conditions such as heart attack, stroke, severe shortness of breath or uncontrollable bleeding.

116 117 applies when an illness requires acute treatment but is not life-threatening and would normally be handled by a GP or specialist whose practice is currently closed: febrile infections, gastrointestinal complaints, urinary tract infections, earache or an urgent repeat prescription. If the call reveals a genuine emergency, the control centre immediately alerts the ambulance service; conversely, 112 refers non-urgent cases to 116 117.

Those who are mobile are usually directed to an on-call clinic: according to a patient survey, around 37 percent wait there less than 15 minutes, on average about 30 minutes, though it can be considerably longer. A sick note on the weekend is possible via both routes.

After the call, urgency is determined in a telephone-based assessment. Depending on the case, phone advice follows, referral to an on-call clinic is offered, or a home visit is organised; with life-threatening signs the ambulance service is activated. A statutory home visit is arranged only when the patient is verifiably not transportable. Have ready:

• Health insurance card (name, date of birth, insurer)
• Complaints with onset and course, measured temperature
• Pre-existing conditions and current medication list
• Full address with floor and doorbell label
• A continuously reachable callback number

An on-call clinic (also urgent care or walk-in clinic) is a medical practice treating acute patients without an appointment in the evenings, at weekends and on public holidays. You arrive during opening hours and register with your health insurance card; a medication list and test results are useful. Statutory patients pay no additional treatment costs.

The service matches a regular practice: auscultation, throat inspection, blood pressure and blood sugar measurement, urine quick test, wound care, ECG, injections. Prescriptions, referrals and sick notes can be issued; if needed, hospital admission follows with a physician's letter. Routine check-ups, vaccinations or repeat prescriptions belong in the GP practice.

With the statutory on-call service, statutory patients typically incur no direct costs; standard copayments remain, such as for medications. A private house call is billed under the physician fee schedule (GOÄ): usually 150 to 300 euros depending on time of day, weekday and scope, with evening, night and weekend surcharges regulated and transparent. Privately insured patients are reimbursed by tariff, and those eligible for government aid submit the bill to their carrier. Detailed breakdown with a sample invoice: costs of the private on-call medical service in Berlin.

For a private medical assessment with a house call in Berlin, RAB Arztbesuche is available daily from 6 am to midnight at +49 30 550 77 870; online appointments under online booking. The typical arrival time is 60 to 90 minutes; prescriptions and sick notes are issued on site if medically indicated. In case of signs of acute danger to life, only the ambulance service via 112 is the appropriate contact.