German Hospitals

In German hospitals do patients have no clothes on in their hospital beds unless they bring their own PJ?

You mean a patient has to make sure to bring pajamas if they have to stay in the hospital for the long term or else they SOL?

Well I am from Germany, and usually you bring your own pyjama when you stay for a longer time. If you habe surgery you are receiving gowns but afterwards you change to your own pyjamas

I can see where having the patient bring their own pajamas would save the hospital money on gowns, but what about us that sleep in the nude? 😮

My girl friend was hospitalized in Germany a few years ago. She had to have her appendix removed. I took her to the ER, she was undressed and given no gown, just layed naked on the exam table until I got her a sheet. When she came out of surgery, she was still naked, but at least they kept her covered. I had to go buy her a nightshirt because they did not use gowns. Walking around that hospital was a voyeurs dream.

Iam not sure if it's the same in every hospital and for every patient

when iam in hospital i ususally have no clothes on

i only wear a bathrobe or a gown when iam on the way to an exam which is outside the room my bed is in

I am not sure if it is common with every hospital, but after a skiing accident I had to have an op on my knee. Having coming straight off the slopes I was told that unless I could get a nightie/pj from somewhere I would have to wear a gown all my stay (yuk!), and thankfully someone on the ward lent me one.

The worst thing then was their total lack of privacy. When I had my pre op physical I thought that I would just have to pull my nighty up and be sethed, but the nurse had me take off my nightie and when I had laid down she pull my knickers down to my knees and then the anesthetist came along a few minutes later and examined me. I was really shy as it was being done in front of all the other patients in the ward, but as I would see later to everyone else it was normal and ignored it.

Europe in General has high utility bills and is conservative with water. They most likely look at costs decide what one can do without. Laundry is one thing they can control. Hopefully they still believe in a good old large volume SSE. It's the best cure for hospital induced constipation

In Germany it is not common to get a gown for an exam. And I don't see a problem with this. When I had a colonioscopy I had to take off my underwear and walked through the room with my penis and balls fully visible while both doctor and nurse were present. As soon as I was in the right position I got a small paper sheet to cover my penis.

"Hopefully they still believe in a good old large volume SSE. It's the best cure for hospital induced constipation"

I love SSE, but when I was in, an old lady on the ward was given an enema and I assume because of mobility problems did her business in a commode in front of us. The noises was bad enough, but the smell was indescribable. Changing my daughters nappy when she went from breast to solids was nothing to what I smelt that day..

So my hospital experiences was not unusual Veleo. Coming from a country where gowns are normal, I found that during my exams one was never offered, it was embarrassing at first, but I did get used to it - I think. I did love my visits to your country, it has a more grown up attitude to public nudity.

It's interesting to read of the extremes. Personally, I find that the artificial modesty of draping and gowns, especially where exams and procedures involving the pelvic organs, actually increases my awareness of my exposure. Unfortunately, it seems that here in the puritanical states of America, the people being protected from the exposure of body parts are the medical professionals. Working with many young medical, nursing and PA students, it is obvious that many of them are rather unprepared to deal with the reality of the human body.

My girl friend was hospitalized in Germany a few years ago. She had to have her appendix removed. I took her to the ER, she was undressed and given no gown, just layed naked on the exam table until I got her a sheet. When she came out of surgery, she was still naked, but at least they kept her covered. I had to go buy her a nightshirt because they did not use gowns. Walking around that hospital was a voyeurs dream.

When you say a voyeurs dream do you mean there were naked people everywhere? They just left doors open for all to see??

I´m german and had to stay several times at (Childrens) hospital for a longer time during my youth and teenage-time (in the 1980s), when I also had few surgeries (tonsillectomy, undescended testicle, appendectomy and Meckel diverticel / intestine cyst). I always did not wore my own pyjama, I got such a clinic shirt. But for exams, I always had to take that shirt off and had to lie naked on the exam-table then. And normally the doors were closed, but often other nurses came into the exam-rooms for bringing or taking something, and some let the door stood open for a short time then, so that other from outside could see me lying naked on the table, too. But that was not the normal case.

The doors on the ward were only closed during doctors rounds, but when they come around the nurses had already removed enough items of clothing to prepare you for an exam, so given that everyone had nighties on, partial or full nudity was common.

Was it a voyeurs dream. Perhaps in other countries I would have thought so, but I found the German people more at ease with nudity and bodily functions than any other country I have visited. The hospital was so hot that I used to sleep on top of the bedclothes with my knee supported by a pillow. As you know in any hospital terminal boredom is a major problem so to pass the hours and hours of tedium, those in the ward who could get out of bed would help those who could not. On the first day after my op I needed to go for a wee, I pressed the nurses call but after a while no nurse appeared and I think i was looking a bit panicky not wanting to wet myself that one of the other patients went into the corner and picked up a bedpan. She came over to me and after helping me pull my nightie up, put the pan against me and I peed. After I had finished she gave me a tissue to dry myself and put the bottle on the table before pulling my nightie back down. Initially I was very embarrassed, but there was no embarrassment on her part and she put me at ease as well as nurses did.

Do German hospitals have matresses on the beds?

do German hospitals have matresses on the beds?

Isn't that a rather odd question? What else would you think (sick, ill and recently operated) people sleep on? Wooden boards, straw rushes or maybe for variety's sake a hammock?

I did not mind when they bought out the leeches, but I did drawn a line when the witch doctor came around.

I agree, odd question.They are as well equipped as any other hospital I have been in here and the skills and the professionalism of the staff is exemplary.

Reply from Germany when I posted the question on their board

That's not true!

Also in German hospitals you go now over to patients to miss certain hospital clothes. In the clinics where I am a regular guest, special underwear, bathrobe and slip-resistant cloth shoes are on the surgical wards shirt, usual. Only when the patients receive rehabilitation measures, they may 'daytime' in private clothes, such as tracksuits hatch. But street clothes is prohibited.

Fundamental changes are likely in the private hygiene behavior and the textiles. Previously, the clothing made of natural fibers usually was washed at 60 ° C and was therefore "clean", today one often has artificial fibers that are washed only at 30 ° C, what bacteria is wearing nothing.

In addition, probably the German virtue "cleanliness" is no longer so common and patients probably often with filthy clothes showed up at the hospital, which is not so pleasant even for the nursing staff.

From the patient side, the new patient clothing is perceived differently. The younger generation knows them based on relevant U.S. TV series and feels it as "hygienic", the older generation has its trouble with it and perceives it as "embarrassing" and "shameful", also because it's just open back. Personally, I would - if I'm not technically restricted movement - prefer private clothes. In favorite nightgown you feel right at ease.

Just to throw in 2 cents about the clothing at Belgian hospitals, which I know from recent experience with my wife. Of course this is not a blanket statement about ALL hospitals since there are bound to be differences per clinic. But even so, surgical clothing aside, once back in your room, you can wear your own nightclothes and even street clothes if you are comfortable doing so and it does not impede with your treatment ... I've never known that private nightclothes are prohibited here, I've never known otherwise than that people bring their own for their hospital stay. And that their family/friends/whatever take home and wash used nightclothes and provide fresh ones. That way it's less work for the hospital cleaning staff.

"Reply from Germany when I posted the question on their board

That's not true!"

If this statement is concerning my thread. were you there with me?

"Reply from Germany when I posted the question on their board

That's not true!"

If this statement is concerning my thread. were you there with me?

Germany is a very large and diverse country ... don't think that things are the same all over. I know that even in smaller Belgium, customs vary from one hospital to the next, even those in the same city. Imagine therefore the diversity in a large country like Germany, which was moreover until recently 2 separate countries with completely diverging approaches to life.

There is no way that anyone can make blanket statements about conditions all over the country. Especially while it is about such small scaled, detailed details.

So it is entirely plausible and very probable that what appear to be conflicting accounts, are both completely true nonetheless ...

@ Pammy32: I posted the original question. "In German hospitals do patients have no clothes on in their hospital beds unless they bring their own PJ?". I wanted to see what our German speaking board members would say regarding their own experiences. The German reply "Not True" was confirmation of what you said in your post. "... I would have to wear a gown all my stay (yuk!)" They were NOT going to have 'no clothes' but they were going to give you a gown. Same here in the US Most of the time you either wear the standard hospital gown or wear your own.

The point of all that replies, including yours, is that patients are not in bed naked unless they provide their own PJ's. I was several weeks in the hospital, and wore only the hospital gown (yuk). I didn't think to have someone bring my own from home, nor even that my own clothing was an option.

Has anyone else brought bed clothes from home? Did hospital ever suggest this option?

Brat

In Germany it is normal that you bring your own Pyjama when you are hospitalized.

In case you come in with the paramedics ty provide you with a gown until you get your own cothes.

While not in Germany, here in the US, on the three occasions that I've been hospitalized, I brought sweats and a tee shirt with me. I wore he gown for the procedure and changed into my clothes as soon as possible. I'm not modest, I just value comfort when access is no longer necessary.

Omg!im shocked.i often got hospitalized.we basically dont use those examination gowns but our own pjs.if u arrive to ER u only have to undress the areas of the body that have to be checked.never heard about a patient being naked especially not for an appendix.maybe after a bad accident when they have to do a complete-bodycheck.but even then a patient actually wears his underwear.sounds curious what happened to this girl.when i got my tonsils removed i had a surgery gown and my panties.when i woke up i was laying i my bed without the gown and a caregiver looked at me.i turned my head and saw the gown in my bed which was parked next to me.i almost freaked out cuz they didnt even coverd my bare breast with it.moreover there are mostly no curtains between the beds of the room and often doctores or nurses let the door wide open during examinations.so yes sometimes it is voyeurs paradise but should not be normality.

I love Germany and the Germans, they are so much more mature about nudity