Filderstadt – November 03, 2026 -- DRF Luftrettung, one of Europe's largest air rescue organizations, took first place at the Award Patientendialog 2026, its third quality and patient-safety distinction in three years. An independent jury honored its project "Communication and Patient Safety in Air Rescue." The result was announced on 23 October at the BPiK symposium in Haar near Munich.
The award is granted by the Federal Association of Patient Advocates in Hospitals (BPiK e. V.) and the Federal Association of Complaint Management for Healthcare Institutions (BBfG e. V.). It recognizes organizations that foster dialogue with patients and relatives and involve them in care.
Multilingual cards and translation apps keep patients communicating in flight
Time pressure, emotional strain and helicopter noise complicate conversation during rescue missions. DRF Luftrettung addresses this with multilingual communication cards, available laminated and digitally on tablets, that let patients answer questions with simple gestures. Translation apps help bridge language barriers and support communication with deaf patients.
Patient advocate Carsten Dummann logged 188 concerns in 24 months
DRF Luftrettung has had a patient advocate, Carsten Dummann, for two years. Feedback is recorded in a structured way and linked to complaint management and patient safety management, so it feeds into the review and improvement of existing procedures. Patient surveys supplement this direct exchange.
A 2024 survey showed the effect: some respondents reported feeling cold during transport, so the organization brought forward the rollout of new thermal blankets.
First air rescue member of BPiK sees its advocate elected to the board
Since 2025, DRF Luftrettung has been an institutional member of BPiK, the first air rescue organization in Germany to join. Dummann has since been unanimously elected to the association's board. He credited the award to the crews, who take time for empathetic care despite time pressure.
Managing Director and Medical Director Dr. Jörg Braun said patient welfare is the central yardstick of the organization's actions. He added that quality management should be viewed beyond the emergency service perspective, and that empathy matters particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and the very elderly.
Third distinction in three years follows HRO and patient safety prizes
In 2024, DRF Luftrettung received the HRO Award for high reliability in medicine and care for its medical safety management system. In 2025, it placed second at the Deutscher Preis für Patientensicherheit for transferring a risk assessment method from aviation to medicine.
The 2026 award adds communication with patients and relatives, and systematic learning from their feedback, to those earlier recognitions. The organization flew 36,407 missions in 2025 from 34 stations at 32 locations in Germany.