Hello, Roman! In January you started working at Kliniken Schmieder as a representative for eastern Europe and Asia. What are your first impressions at the new job?
First of all, I would like to thank management of the Kliniken Schmieder for the opportunity to get acquainted with the clinics before I started working as a representative for e.g. Russian-speaking patients. It gave me an opportunity to make my decision and at the same time convinced me of a very serious approach to the selection of staff at the clinics. This is extremely important because our work is all about interacting with people, sometimes with gravely ill patients and their relatives. You need to have this opportunity first to get to know each other well enough.
Please tell us a little bit about what you used to do before you started working at the Kliniken Schmieder?
My pleasure! I am a doctor with more than 20 years of practical experience. My field of interest is the treatment of patients with severe disorders of vital organs, the so-called multiple organ failure syndrome. One reason why I was very keen to consider the offer from Kliniken Schmieder was that the patient group I worked with requires rehabilitation treatment. They often develop e.g. a critical state polyneuropathy, respiratory or swallowing disorders, and , they are extremely weak and show and other systemic disorders. In addition, I worked for more than 10 years as a representative of the largest clinic group in Germany, where I had patients with very diverse diagnoses. Due to this work I became well acquainted with the organization of health care in Germany, and gained some valuable experience working with patients from other countries.
Please tell us about your first impressions of the new position.
There are a lot of impressions and they are all positive. First of all, I have met many open and kind people working at different levels and in different positions, and, importantly, I saw that what they all shared was deep interest in reaching a positive outcome in patient care. I know well from my medical practice that working in medicine is first and foremost a team effort.
Kliniken Schmieder have a very good team working together at all levels: from the clinic management to the staff that provides for the daily necessities of life. Besides, it’s good to have an international team. It is particularly true of international patients, as there is no need for an interpreter and colleagues speak many languages and, importantly, they are aware of the cultural differences of patients from different countries. In short, I was very positively impressed by the quality of management for international patients and by the extent to which the clinics are geared to pursue international cooperation. And they aim to continue to improve in this area. In fact, that was one of the objectives set for my work in the near future.
Being a doctor with many years of experience, how would you comment about the medical aspects in the work of the clinics?
I was certainly very interested to see the treatment process. For this, I was given an opportunity to have some hands-on experience directly at the clinic. I drew a very important professional conclusion as a medic from this experience: Schmieder offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to treatment. A large number of medical professionals from different fields are involved in the treatment of each patient. From professional patient care (nursing), which is a separate service, to professors who head the departments, all work professionally and together, constantly exchanging information with each other at regular conferences, and ensuring prescription and implementation of the best appropriate and individually selected treatment. I cannot help but mention, in this context, the nursing and therapy staff of highly trained nurses and therapists who conduct daily sessions with the patient, and on whose shoulders lies the rehabilitation of the patient. They are the first to note those small steps towards the restoration of the lost functions, returning to normal life. This work requires great patience, daily dedication, and great love for their profession. And I saw their sincere willingness to help and the great joy at the progress achieved through their work. I can now state with certainty that patients at Kliniken Schmieder are in good hands and everything possible is being done for their recovery.
True, it is an interesting experience. We also know that in today’s world the clinics rely extensively on special high-tech methods. They are often the ones ensuring the best results in treatment. To what extent are the clinics provided with modern equipment?
I can only partially agree with this. I am still convinced that the main thing that allows you to achieve good results in treatment is the highly skilled and motivated medical staff, as it is in their hands that modern equipment can really work wonders. What I have seen is that the Kliniken Schmieder are very well equipped – from modern ventilators and cardiac monitors, to treat patients requiring artificial respiration, to specialized robotic machinery which helps to improve treatment results and often greatly facilitates the rehabilitation of the patient. In addition, they use some computer techniques that support formation of new connections between the cells of the central nervous system and thus allowing for the recovery. Importantly, the Kliniken Schmieder are rightly regarded as trend-setters in neurorehabilitation, given their vast experience. Prof. Friedrich Schmieder founded his first hospital more than 70 years ago. Even back then, the use of innovative medical equipment in the treatment of patients was already at the beginning of its journey.
By the way, regarding patients who cannot breathe on their own and need a breathing apparatus, is it really possible to admit such severe patients to the clinic for treatment?
Indeed it is! Moreover, it is already an axiom that the earlier rehabilitation treatment is started, the better the results can be. Therefore, according to modern concepts, neurorehabilitation should start already in the ICU, where patients may still rely on artificial respiration and are unconscious. True, at this stage we often have to deal with many tasks that may not be directly related to brain damage, such as fighting an infection or providing the patient with nutrition when eating in the usual way is not yet possible. All these tasks are solved, at the clinics’ intensive care unit, where it is possible to manage such patients and at the same time make the very first steps in the rehabilitation treatment. The clinic can start neurorehabilitation from the earliest stages. Treatment of the severely affected patients requires a multidisciplinary approach involving specialists from different fields. Sometimes more exact diagnostics may be required, for which the clinic is well equipped e.g. with modern CT and MRI devices. For surgery the clinic cooperates with major medical centres in the region. As you can see, patients who come to the hospital in a grave state receive all the best qualified medical care they need.
Obviously, organizing this process requires a lot of effort not only from the medical staff, but also from the managers who do the paperwork and maintain contacts with other medical organizations. How can a patient get into the clinic and who is the first point of contact?
It is a very good question! If we are talking about international patients, the clinic for them begins with the international department. The first contact is about the first impression that the patient or the relatives get, about the first appropriate steps on the way to the clinic, about the time that is valuable in all cases. It is, again, a teamwork, and this team at the clinic works in a very coordinated way. It is a multilingual team, so patients from all over the world can come there and they will find a way to communicate that is convenient for them. Obviously, the staff at the international department works closely with the doctors, because it is the doctor – the head of the department, professor of medicine – who makes the final decision as to whether a patient can be admitted for treatment.
Thank you very much for your impressions. They may be interesting and useful for patients and their families and will help them to make a decision and choose the right clinic.
Yes, you are right. I will continue to be willing to share my opinions as I go along. Right now, the clinic management has quite a few ideas how to best optimize and improve our work with international patients, and I would be happy to share them in the future as well. Thank you!
