The results come from a Deco/Protest survey published in Teste Saúde magazine, based on a survey of more than 1,300 Portuguese adults conducted at the end of last year, reflecting the use of services over the past two years.


The results also show that only 22 percent of respondents who went to the emergency department previously called the SNS24 (808 24 24 24) line, which is a tool for screening and referral designed to help ease the pressure on the emergency departments of hospitals.


When asked why they went directly to the hospital, almost half of respondents said that they went there for the “best conditions for treatment”, while in 33 percent of the cases they indicated that “the emergency service at the health centre was closed”.


Still 29 percent of respondents consider that hospital health professionals are “better able to handle difficult situations”.


Among those who indicated they needed emergency health care, 72 percent went to a public hospital, 16 percent used private services and 12 percent went to health centres.


Health centres or family health units do not have emergency units or services, but generally have a service for acute situations at certain times of the day.


“If it wants to reserve hospitals for serious cases in addition to strengthening primary care, the ministry of health must continue to promote the SNS 24 line as a means of screening and referral,” says the Deco / Protest analysis.


In terms of screening, more than half of respondents who went to the emergency room received a yellow bracelet and 26 percent a green bracelet. The orange and red bracelets were respectively attributed to 13 percent and 2 percent of respondents in this study.


Official data show that about 40 percent of emergency room visits in public hospitals last year were considered low or urgent, representing more than two million cases.