Excellence in Medical Care in Northern Germany

The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein with its two locations Kiel and Lübeck, both with a long medical tradition, is one of the largest European centers for medical care. As the only maximum care provider in Schleswig-Holstein it covers the entire spectrum of modern medical and health care. High standards and performance exceeding standard hospital medical services by far, are a result of the close connection between medical research and the health care provided. Patients benefit from the highly advanced medical technologies combined with multi-disciplinary research, the results of which are immediately translated into clinical practice. 2,000 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 3,600 health staff treat over 360,000 inpatients and outpatients in 80 clinics and institutes. The medical center is particularly proud of the 3,000 babies it brings into the world each year. The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, as a center of excellence in research and education, guarantees each patient individualized and comprehensive multi-disciplinary health care based on the most modern technologies in clinical diagnostics and therapy.

The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein with two medical faculties, the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel and the University of Lübeck, is the only clinic in Germany where top international physicians, scientists and researchers come together to treat patients, research and teach. By German standards we offer 3,500 students high quality education and training programs in human and dental medicine. Research focuses on the areas of infections and infectious diseases, clinical genome research, neurosciences, oncology, reproductive medicine, transplant medicine, biomedical technologies and endocrine regulation. Scientists and researchers work together with universities all over the world. Evidence of their accredited expertise is found in the large-scale studies carried out, for example, in brain research and geriatric medicine, in stem cell therapy and transplant immunology, in findings on genetic causes for cardiovascular diseases and research on the complex connection between brain, hormones and behavior. Research results range from the discovery of molecular complexes to recommendations for treating health risks and diseases in the 21st century.

The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein focuses on the well-being and needs of each individual in its care. Physicians, care givers and health staff are committed to promoting the health of each patient and helping patients to regain their independence. Commitment to a job that demands round-the-clock dedication requires constant updating of medical knowledge. The broad diversity of areas our health staff works in corresponds to the broad diversity of the clinical practice offered by the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein. To meet the growing personal and medical requirements many of the medical center's staff members specialize and make use of the training and educational facilities offered by the Bildungszentrum für Gesundheitsfachberufe (BIZ - Educational Center for Health Care Professionals). The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein engages in nursing research as a means of improving the standard of nursing care provided. Given the current challenges to health care in Schleswig-Holstein, nursing research focuses on three main areas: care for patients with chronic diseases or several diseases, the integration of the inpatient ward with the outpatient ward and rehabilitation center, and extension of the nursing staff's clinical duties.

Cooperation and networking are the key to efficiency in all areas of the medical center's operation. That is why the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein concentrates its resources at its Kiel and Lübeck locations, making it easier to manage the success of our clinics and institutes and, in particular, as Schleswig-Holstein's sole maximum care provider largest public employer with 11,000 staff members, to meet the demands of our partners who rely on the excellence of its clinical medical services as much as its patients do. Our commitment is excellence regardless of whether a patient is transferred to the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein by another practicing physician or has come seeking diagnostic excellence, or whether we are assigned a research project or survey. All areas profit from the knowledge, research and multi-disciplinary cooperation between national and international partners. Welcome to the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, its advanced training programs and seminars. Feel free to ask for our publications.

Although recently established, the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein is founded on the distinguished tradition of two outstanding medical faculties. The medical faculty at the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel was among the first at that institution. A clinical facility existed on the University of Lübeck campus since 1912 where the medical faculty was later founded in 1964. Clinical medicine in Schleswig-Holstein is linked to the names of renowned scientists and researchers such as Johann Friedrich August von Esmarch, Hans Gerhard Creutzfeld and Friedrich Wegener. The University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, the result of the two university clinics in Kiel and Lübeck merging in 2003, is perfectly positioned for the future, clearly evidenced by third-party funds totaling over EUR 40 million per year. The permanent readiness to advance development guarantees our performance. In early 2010 significant restructuring measures were implemented at the managerial level as well as at the health care level. Three management centers are now in charge of monitoring the efficiency of all corporate processes. Medical care has largely been organized in multi-disciplinary comprehensive off-campus medical competence centers.