Sudden and severe earache: This could indicate a middle ear infection. And they should be recognized quickly and treated by an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT). But what if you can’t find a suitable doctor at short notice?
This is what happened to Anna Schmitt (Name changed by editor). The 19-year-old from Marktheidenfeld does not want to be called by her real name. Recently, on a weekday evening, she developed a surprisingly severe earache. “She screamed, it hurt her so much,” says mother Sabine Schmitt.
Calling the medical on-call service: “unnecessarily complicated options”
It is she who, around 9 p.m., dials 116 117, the patient service of the medical on-call service. An emergency call was out of the question. Anna Schmitt was not seriously ill, but the doctor’s offices were closed. “We couldn’t wait until the next morning because the pain was very severe and couldn’t be relieved with normal painkillers,” said the mother.
She didn’t have the impression that she was calling the medical on-call service, but because of the constant announcements, “press 1”, “keep on the line”, “give your zip code”, more like a large telephone company. “You’re offered a lot of unnecessarily complicated options. And it takes too long before you finally have someone on the line who can give you information,” says the mother. She believes that older people are not even able to reach the right place.
Telephone advice from a doctor or referral to Klinikum Main-Spessart?
She says that she received the following information from the patient hotline: “There is no ENT on-call practice in Marktheidenfeld and the surrounding area.” Michael Stahn, spokesman for the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB), describes the incident somewhat differently: “The patient received comprehensive help in the form of a telephone consultation from a doctor within less than five minutes.” What was discussed in the phone call is subject to the confidentiality of the doctor-patient relationship.
Furthermore, Stahn points out that there is indeed an ENT doctor on call for the district of Main-Spessart (weekdays from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.): “The ENT specialist service, which is suitable for the patient, can be found in the Würzburg area -Schweinfurt as well as in the Aschaffenburg area.”
Schmitt says she was told by the patient hotline: “Go to the nearest clinic.” The nearest clinic from Marktheidenfeld is in Lohr. It was 12:30 am when they arrived. “We were greeted in a friendly manner by a nurse in the emergency room with the words: Will you come by appointment with the medical on-call service?” the mother remembers.
No patients are turned away at the Main-Spessart Clinic
She said they didn’t have anyone in the ENT department, she had to go to another clinic, for example the Würzburg University Clinic. Franziska Schön from the Main-Spessart Clinic specified: “We do not turn away patients, but we do point out when contacting them if the main symptom can be assigned to a specialty that is not located at the Main-Spessart Clinic.”
Sabine Schmitt criticizes: “Such information must be available and passed on to the medical on-call service.” She thinks she drove 40 kilometers in the night for nothing.
Only dial an emergency number in an emergency
Should she have called 911? Schmitt says: If everyone dialed 911 in non-threatening situations, there wouldn’t be an ambulance available when a real emergency happened, like a heart attack. “That must not be!” The spokeswoman for the Main-Spessart Clinic also says: “The following applies: emergency calls only in emergencies.”
Emergencies would always be treated in the Main-Spessart Clinic, says Schön. “In special emergencies, we can only provide first aid.” If, in the event of an emergency, there is no specialist in the relevant specialty on site, the patients will then be transferred to a clinic for further treatment.
Physicians may refuse patients for valid reasons, except in cases of acute need
What many do not know: In Germany there is no basic medical treatment obligation – unless it is an acute need. A valid reason for patient refusal is when a doctor is not specifically trained for the condition. If the treatment does not fall within his area of expertise, he may refer the patient to another practice.
Marktheidenfelder Ömer Özbay, who encouraged Schmitt to describe the events of this editorial office, can hardly believe what the two women experienced. Unfortunately, this is just one example of many that he has heard in private or experienced himself.
“Our policy is too little for the health system,” he says. Instead, a lot of money would be spent on other, possibly less important projects, such as road construction. Marktheidenfeld is the economically strongest location in the district. “Many of the company’s employees live here and the number is growing,” says Özbay.
If in doubt, go directly to the university clinic in Würzburg
“Marktheidenfeld is in a very bad position when it comes to medical care – both in terms of general practitioners and specialists,” says Sabine Schmitt. There is neither an ENT doctor, nor an orthopedist, nor a full ophthalmologist position. “Unfortunately, many people simply accept this unsatisfactory situation without defending themselves,” says Schmitt.
If she were in a similar situation again, Sabine Schmitt would go straight to the university clinic in Würzburg. But older or single people should not be expected to travel this route. In the situation in question, a call to the emergency room there did not help the Schmitt family.
There were also many emergencies in the waiting room at the ENT practice in Lohr
They weren’t turned away, but were told they would have to wait up to four hours for a doctor to look at Anna Schmitt’s ear. Resigned, they drove home without having achieved anything. She gave her daughter ibuprofen, sleep was out of the question. “I was glad that didn’t happen to me with a small child,” says Sabine Schmitt. She would not have known what dosage of medication she could have given.
In the morning, pus and blood flowed from the ear. The eardrum was probably torn. Immediately after the ENT practice opened in Lohr, Sabine Schmitt called to register her daughter. Another rejection: there are already twelve emergencies in the waiting room. “Only if our family doctor would call personally would she have had a chance of treatment there,” the mother was told. Ultimately, the family doctor that Anna Schmitt saw sent her to the ENT doctor in Wertheim, where she was treated immediately.
What to do if you have a middle ear infection?
An acute middle ear infection is not a medical emergency, but it should still be treated by a specialist to prevent possible complications and secondary diseases. If left untreated, a middle ear infection can lead to chronic inflammation and cause hearing loss, for example.
The doctor usually prescribes bed rest and anti-inflammatory pain medication. Patients report that they find heat treatment with red light, a grape seed pillow or a bag of boiled onions pleasant. You should make sure that no water gets into your ears when showering or bathing. Swimming pool visits are taboo.
Those: www.hno-aerzte-im-netz.de.de
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