Notdienst

Notdienst is a term used in German-speaking countries to describe services that operate outside regular office hours and are intended to provide urgent or immediate assistance when normal services are closed. It covers medical care, pharmaceutical services, and other forms of urgent support. Notdienst is not the same as a life-threatening emergency, which typically requires dialing the emergency number and using the Rettungsdienst or Notaufnahme.

In healthcare, the term refers to on-call medical services that are available during evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. On-call physicians may run a Notdienstpraxis or provide Bereitschaftsdienst, coordinated regionally by bodies such as the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung in Germany. Access is usually arranged through local hotlines or central numbers that route callers to the appropriate on-call doctor. The aim is to ensure medical advice and care when a regular doctor’s practice is closed and to relieve hospitals from non-emergency after-hours visits.

Pharmacy Notdienst, or Apotheken-Notdienst, is another common use of the term. Participating pharmacies organize rotating after-hours service so that residents can obtain prescribed or over-the-counter medications when their usual pharmacy is closed. Information about which pharmacy is on Notdienst and its hours is typically published locally.

Notdienst also intersects with emergency medical services and hospital care. The Rettungsdienst (emergency ambulance service) and Not-Aufnahme (emergency department) handle acute, life-threatening situations, while Notdienst arrangements provide access to urgent care outside those channels. The exact structure of Notdienst services varies by country and region but the core idea remains consistent: essential, after-hours assistance when standard services are unavailable.