What information must not be missing on the practice sign?
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
When it comes to the door sign for a doctor’s office, regulations must be observed. However, these primarily concern the external signage. In smaller buildings, 1 door sign is usually sufficient for the stairwell, informing the patient which door the practice is behind. In large building complexes with several practices, it is definitely appropriate to mount one or more door signs with further information.
Pure name badges are more suitable for the door signs inside the practice, although even there a little more information than just the name is always useful. An outside sign for a doctor's office, on the other hand, should contain the following mandatory information :
- Full name with title
- The (specialist) doctor’s designation . The regulations of the further training regulations of the State Chamber of Physicians, which determine the exact designation, must be observed here.
- If necessary, membership of a professional association according to §18a BO.
- The office hours (or at least the notice "Office hours by appointment").
Special regulations apply to medical cooperation communities, partnerships, employed doctors and panel doctors.
Information about additional qualifications is also permitted. Important : The patient must be able to recognize whether it is a qualification according to public law regulations. It makes sense to designate skills acquired in a different way as "field of activity" so that there is no confusion with a medical specialist.
A large practice sign made of acrylic glass offers the opportunity to clearly list all information.
So-called organizational communities must be particularly careful when designing practice signs. The door sign must not give the impression of a joint practice in which all doctors are jointly liable.
However, the doctor should put himself in the position of an often frightened patient. A picture of carious teeth will certainly not inspire confidence in practices. The bad habit of depicting organs on the sign of the doctor's office is also widespread. Patients find neither a close-up of a brain at the neurologist's nor that of the kidneys at the urologist's to be pleasant.
It is certainly an advantage if practices have their own car park , but it is not appropriate to indicate this on the practice sign.
A tip for interior signage: interchangeable door signs with self-printed paper inserts are representative and practical. Advantage: you can change the labeling yourself at any time.
Mandatory information on doctor's office doorplates
The signs are intended to inform patients and not serve as advertising. The medical associations and the model professional code of the German Medical Association determine what belongs on the outside sign of the practice in addition to the name. There is also a template for useful practice signs.Pure name badges are more suitable for the door signs inside the practice, although even there a little more information than just the name is always useful. An outside sign for a doctor's office, on the other hand, should contain the following mandatory information :
- Full name with title
- The (specialist) doctor’s designation . The regulations of the further training regulations of the State Chamber of Physicians, which determine the exact designation, must be observed here.
- If necessary, membership of a professional association according to §18a BO.
- The office hours (or at least the notice "Office hours by appointment").
Special regulations apply to medical cooperation communities, partnerships, employed doctors and panel doctors.
Information about additional qualifications is also permitted. Important : The patient must be able to recognize whether it is a qualification according to public law regulations. It makes sense to designate skills acquired in a different way as "field of activity" so that there is no confusion with a medical specialist.
A large practice sign made of acrylic glass offers the opportunity to clearly list all information.
This is not allowed on any practice sign
Designations such as ...-center ; Institute for.... ; Clinic or day clinic are legally questionable because they can lead to false expectations. This is considered unfair competition. Only those who have the appropriate approval according to § 30 GewO may call themselves a clinic.So-called organizational communities must be particularly careful when designing practice signs. The door sign must not give the impression of a joint practice in which all doctors are jointly liable.
Design of practice signs
Neither the door signs of the practice nor a sign in the hallway of a house may be obtrusive and stand out from other practice signs in terms of size and type . This would be construed as advertising. But no doctor has to stick to an exact template. A little creative freedom on the practice sign is of course allowed. Some sample templates are available for free download here .However, the doctor should put himself in the position of an often frightened patient. A picture of carious teeth will certainly not inspire confidence in practices. The bad habit of depicting organs on the sign of the doctor's office is also widespread. Patients find neither a close-up of a brain at the neurologist's nor that of the kidneys at the urologist's to be pleasant.
It is certainly an advantage if practices have their own car park , but it is not appropriate to indicate this on the practice sign.
A tip for interior signage: interchangeable door signs with self-printed paper inserts are representative and practical. Advantage: you can change the labeling yourself at any time.
