Physician reservation: activities reserved for doctors

Many procedures and prescriptions are reserved for doctors alone. Non-medical health professions may only take them over on instruction or under supervision. One example is prescribing prescription-only medicines, which is solely in the hands of doctors. This limit protects patients from incorrect use.

The reason is patient protection. Lawmakers want to prevent unqualified providers from offering medical services. Strict limits apply to alternative practitioners, because they may not perform many medical activities, and they are not allowed to dispense prescription-only medicines. Cooperation in which an alternative practitioner passes on prescription-only medicines is not permitted under the professional code of conduct for doctors. If a patient is still treated this way, it is a breach of the law.

For patients, the physician reservation is a protection. It ensures that sensitive procedures and prescriptions are in qualified hands. If you are unsure whether a treatment belongs in the medical field, you should ask specifically. Make sure that prescriptions and procedures come from qualified doctors. If in doubt, a medical second opinion gives you additional certainty.