Philipp Stiehl is a health specialist (Fachmann Gesundheit – FaGe) who puts his heart and soul into his work at Hirslanden Klinik Im Park:
It makes all the difference when I sometimes give my patients a cooling footbath on a hot day.
Mr. Stiehl, what are your responsibilities at the hospital?
As a health specialist, I help patients with their day-to-day tasks, such as dressing and undressing or personal care. We take patients into the operating room and pick them up in the recovery room.
All of these tasks involve entering the patient’s private sphere, which is why it is important to establish a very personal relationship with each individual. Patients feel a lot more comfortable right away when they are cared for by someone they trust.
Do you also perform medical services?
As the interface between the patient and attending doctors, we work closely with the other medical professionals. We change bandages and take blood samples, assist doctors during their rounds, or perhaps help the patient do the exercises as instructed by their physiotherapist.
What is extra important to you when dealing with patients?
For me, it’s important that each patient feels they are well cared for and taken seriously. That’s why we respond to the patient’s various individual needs. We talk to them as well as to their families so that patients are always well informed.
When can patients call on you?
My job is to provide patients with the full range of care services. They can call on me for whatever they need – and not just when they have questions about their hospital stay. We also explain how to take their medications after being discharged from the hospital, along with instructions on changing their bandages, for example.
What extras do you offer your patients?
Each patient is unique and has very individual needs, and in consultation with the attending doctor we respond to these whenever possible. In their everyday activities, this includes aromatherapy, manicures and pedicures, and making appointments with our in-house hairdresser.