LUZ 24 – the Hospital da Luz freely accessible clinical screening phone service – is to be congratulated: for it celebrates, today, two years of operation, and the numbers show a consolidated growth in terms of demand. It is through LUZ 24 that thousands of people, clients and non-clients of Hospital da Luz network, have managed to get counselling and solutions for their immediate health problems. Along these two years of operation, the LUZ 24 teams have made around 100 thousand screenings. In fact, in 2021, the recourse to this service registered a 25% increase compared to 2020. LUZ 24 is an innovating and highly differentiated service, available both for adults and children, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, through the national phone number – 217 104 424 –, which is freely accessible. The service can also be done in English, for foreign clients. The clinical screening is carried out by nurses – following demanding protocols based on the best international practice –, that refer the cases to the most appropriate healthcare, as timely as possible. In 2021, of the total of screenings, more than half the clients were referred to the Emergency Service (immediately or in the short term) and the remainder to video consultation, priority consultation, planned consultation, or were given guidance for self-care. Besides clinical screening, the service is also available to clarify doubts, previous or subsequent to exams or interventions. The LUZ 24 service counts with the Clinical Direction of Betânia Ferreira , specialist in Internal Medicine, the nurse Cláudio Ferreira being responsible for the coordination of the nursing team. This team works in articulation with the teams of the Emergency Services of the hospitals and clinics of Hospital da Luz network and the teams of the General Contact Centre. Our clients can keep counting with LUZ 24.
