Your stay with us

You will receive a written appointment for your inpatient stay in our clinic. Please complete the enclosed questionnaires on medical information and your personal wishes and bring them with you on the day of admission.

When you arrive at the hospital, first go to the patient reception desk at the main entrance (Bettenhochhaus building, Freiburgstrasse 18, entrance 33). Patient registration is carried out there.

Alternatively, you can also complete our online patient registration conveniently from home. This saves you the on-site registration procedure and waiting times.

Patient online registration

For your hospital stay, please refer to our patient guide «Welcome to Inselspital», which we offer in several languages. Among other things, it contains a checklist for home, what you should pack for your hospital stay and a detailed map of where to find everything.

Please bring your health insurance card with you to every appointment at the Inselspital.

Please report to the patient reception desk at the main entrance between 9.30–10.00 am on the day of admission. Please allow 30 minutes for registration.

If you have already completed the online patient registration at home, you can report directly to the neurosurgery ward secretariat from 10.15 am onwards.

You will be welcomed there and taken to your room. Afterwards, a nurse will discuss the further procedure with you.

You can discuss your special needs and wishes during your hospital stay with the nurse in charge.

Medical examination: The necessary preparations and examinations for the operation will be discussed with you. These include, for example, blood tests as well as imaging for navigation and functional monitoring. The length of your hospital stay is already indicated on the day of admission. The ward doctor will examine you again before surgery and ask you about your condition and previous medication.

Surgery information: The surgeon will inform you about the exact procedure, surgical techniques, and goals of the surgery. Take the opportunity to ask questions. It is important to us that you are well informed about your surgery, the risks, options and alternatives.

We will be able to tell you the exact time of the surgery after 5.00 am, when the definitive operation plan has been drawn up. However, changes may occur at any time due to emergencies.

Before surgery, you will also have a consultation with our anesthesiologists in order to prepare you for your anesthesia. It is possible that this appointment has already taken place in advance. The anesthesiologist will discuss with you all the details about the time before, during and after the operation and will explain the anesthesia technique and possible risks.

After surgery, you will be constantly monitored, in the central recovery ward or, if more care is required, in our specialized monitoring ward IMC (Intermediate Care Ward).

The duration of intensive monitoring is defined for each individual operation and can be up to 24 hours for brain surgery. You will then be transferred back to your room in the ward. On the day of admission, we can inform you of the expected duration in the monitoring ward. Visits to the monitoring ward are possible, but must be discussed with the nursing staff in advance.

Back on the ward, medical monitoring takes place at less intensive intervals. The drug therapy is continuously adapted to your state of health. In most cases, you will be mobilized the day after surgery, and your diet will be changed according to your wishes. The nurses will assist you with personal hygiene if necessary. A daily ward round is held during which doctors and nurses discuss the further course of action with you.

Your needs for the time after your inpatient stay are already recorded on admission. At the discharge interview, you will be informed about the most important points of the aftercare and will have the opportunity to ask any unanswered questions. You will also receive your discharge documents. Your family doctor will receive a written copy of the discharge report.

Discharge usually takes place in the morning.

Checklist for your discharge:

• Have you received your discharge report?
• Have you received all prescriptions for required medication?
• Have you received a certificate of incapacity for work? 
• Have all appointments for follow-up visits been made?
• Has your pick-up been organized?
• Have you packed all personal belongings?
• Have you checked out with the responsible care service?

If rehabilitation or a stay at a health resort is planned, our social counseling service will organize the necessary registration.

The social counseling service also supports you in other matters, such as the organization of home care services (Spitex) or household help, as well as with insurance and financing questions.

In addition to social counseling, Inselspital also offers assistance in the areas of pastoral care, psychooncology and palliative care.

The aftercare is individually adapted to the patient and can be determined by the patient. A follow-up appointment usually takes place 4–6 weeks after surgery. This appointment is adjusted to a possible rehabilitation stay. If neurological rehabilitation is not planned, there are also numerous outpatient therapy options such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and psychosocial care.

Follow-up appointments and routine check-ups take place at our Neurosurgical Polyclinic or the chief physician’s consultation.