The UKE

Since its foundation in 1889, the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has been one of the leading clinics in Europe. Based on the interconnection of medicine, research, and teaching, all employees at the UKE work hand in hand toward a common aim – the health and well-being of our patients. It is for them that we perform research. It is for them that we teach. And it is for them that we continue to learn.

With about 15,300 employees, the UKE is the third-largest employer in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

Research at the UKE

Research is an important prerequisite for progress in diagnostics and therapy. The emphasis in UKE’s research are the neurosciences, cardio-vascular research, care research, oncology, as well as infections and inflammations. Other potential areas of the UKE are molecular imaging and skeletal biology research.

Medical Studies at the UKE

The UKE educates about 3,500 medical specialists, dentists and midwives. Some of our students achieve significantly better than average results in performance tests in Germany. We are praised throughout the country for our modern training techniques in which theory and practice are interconnected in an exceptional and progressive manner, and in which topical elements such as digital textbooks or computer-based simulation programs are utilized. The model study course iMED Hamburg, which was introduced in 2012, already fulfills the criteria for the further development of medical studies in Germany which were defined by the Science Council. In September 2020, the first semester of the inter-university bachelor's degree programme in midwifery also started.

  • Paperless Hospital
  • Paperless Hospital

    Paperless Hospital

    As the first university clinic in Europe, the UKE has introduced a hospital-wide electronic patient file facilitating a paperless clinical routine. In 2011, the UKE was certified as the first fully digital hospital in Europe. Also, the UKE is the only German hospital where the entire information network of the electronic patient file has been inspected and certified by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in accordance with IT baseline protection – for its handling of confidential patient information according to the highest standards.

    Centrally stored data may be accessed at any time and from any place in the clinic by doctors, therapists, and nurses involved in the treatment process via a strictly regulated and certified security system. Thus, the patient file is available wherever our patient is to be cared for.

    Also, prescriptions of medication and their documentation are performed completely paperless thanks to the electronic patient file. Every day, the computer-controlled system packages 12,000 individual doses of medication for patients into bags at the clinic’s pharmacy. At the ward, the nurse administers the drugs only after checking the patient bracelet – ensuring a maximum degree of patient safety.

  • Sustainability and an Ecological UKE

    With its green agenda, the UKE pursues goals reaching beyond environmental protection. We don’t just want to make our patients healthier, but our environment as well, and thus we work based on the principles of sustainability. We view this as reconciling economic, ecological, and social objectives at the UKE – through technical innovations in energy management, the improvement of our processes or the reduction of vehicular traffic on our premises. The UKE has already been honored as Hamburg’s most bicycle-friendly employer. Surely, one of the reasons is the fact that the UKE has its own bicycle shop – Dr. Bike.