Preparing for your first consultation: what to have ready

The first consultation is a medical appointment by video with our physician Oxana Smagulova. This article explains how it differs from the free information call, what to have ready, what happens in the consultation and what follows it.

Two different appointments

The free information call and the medical consultation are separate appointments with different purposes.

• The information call lasts ten minutes and is free. It takes place by video or phone, whichever you prefer, and covers the process, the legal situation and the costs. It is an information conversation, not medical advice and not a medical appointment. You do not need to prepare anything for it.
• The medical consultation is a clinical appointment by video with our physician. It is arranged separately, and only if you decide to go ahead. You make that decision after the call, in your own time.

The fees for the consultation are on our prices page. If you would rather read first, the free patient guide describes the process in writing.

What to have ready

In the consultation, the physician reviews your medical history and your current medication. It helps to have:

• earlier medical reports, for example letters from physicians who have treated you,
• a list of the medicines you take at present, including those available without a prescription,
• your own questions, written down, so that none is forgotten.

For the video appointment itself:

• a quiet place where you can speak freely,
• a device with a camera and a microphone, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone,
• a stable internet connection.

The consultation can take place in German, English or Russian, and French-speaking patients have their appointments in English. The information call can also take place in Italian; the language of the consultation is agreed before the appointment.

What happens in the consultation

The consultation takes place entirely online, with no waiting room. Our physician reviews your medical history and your current medication, answers your questions and documents the assessment. Whether treatment is an option is decided individually by the physician during the consultation, on the basis of your medical history, your current medication and a weighing of benefits and risks. There is no checklist.

Where medically indicated, the physician sets out a treatment plan in writing. There is no entitlement to a prescription; the physician decides on the basis of the medical assessment.

The physician also discusses with you what the rules on fitness to drive mean for driving and for safety-critical work. Our article on driving with a medical prescription explains these rules.

Everything you share is handled under Swiss data protection law and Swiss medical confidentiality. More: how the consultation works and our physician.

After the consultation

You receive written documentation of the appointment. Any further steps are decided by the physician.

Where a cannabis medicine is medically indicated, narcotics law sets the rules for the prescription. The narcotics prescription (Betäubungsmittelrezept) is an official paper form. Among other details, it carries the patient's surname, first name, date of birth and address (Art. 47 para. 1 BetmKV). A narcotics prescription is valid for one month (Art. 47 para. 2 BetmKV); cantonal practice for longer treatment periods varies. The quantity prescribed may not exceed the need for one month of treatment; where circumstances justify it, up to three months are possible (Art. 47 para. 3 BetmKV). More: validity and quantity.

According to the Association of Cantonal Pharmacists (KAV), the original must be physically present at the pharmacy, and it may not be sent by e-mail, messenger service or fax. It can be handed or posted to the patient or, with the patient's documented consent, posted directly to a pharmacy of the patient's choice. This consent must be documented in writing and is, as a rule, confirmed once a year (KAV 0025).

You choose the pharmacy freely (Art. 26 para. 2bis let. b HMG). Our practice has no contracts with any pharmacy, and the pharmacy bills medicines separately. More: how the prescription reaches the pharmacy, choosing a pharmacy and our pharmacies page.

Physicians who prescribe cannabis medicines with at least 1 percent total THC enter pseudonymised treatment data in the BAG's reporting system MeCanna (Art. 8b and 18f BetmG). The page reporting to the FOPH explains which data this covers.

If you plan to travel abroad, mention it in the consultation. The rules for travelling with prescribed medicines are in our article on travelling with prescribed narcotics.

If treatment is not medically indicated

If the physician concludes in the consultation that treatment is not medically indicated, you get the consultation fee back in full. This money-back guarantee applies to the consultation; the amount is on our prices page.

Follow-up consultations

Follow-up consultations take place by video with the same physician, who reviews the treatment plan at scheduled appointments. Every appointment is documented, and the fees for follow-up consultations are also on our prices page.

How the consultation fits into the legal rules is set out in our overview the medical route in Switzerland.

This article is general information and not legal or medical advice.