In a statement, the ULS highlights that this differentiated response “has enabled the swift and effective resolution of acute clinical situations in patients with underlying medical conditions, ensuring closer and more continuous monitoring, ideally without requiring hospital emergency services.”
Over the past year, CAMI has conducted 548 initial consultations, 1,952 follow-up consultations, and 486 day hospital sessions.
According to ULS, these figures demonstrate CAMI’s importance in strengthening the link between hospital care and primary healthcare.
“Through this model, patients are evaluated in a timely manner by doctors and nurses, allowing for clinical stabilization and, whenever possible, avoiding hospitalization,” the statement reads.
CAMI was established to meet the acute needs of outpatients and referrals from primary healthcare, “ensuring a rapid medical assessment and appropriate clinical decisions.”
The referral process is simple and direct: primary care professionals contact the CAMI team, allowing the patient to be seen within 24 to 72 hours.
Operating on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:00, the outpatient clinic is supported by a dedicated multidisciplinary team, including internists, nurses, and healthcare assistants.
ULS states that the model has contributed to a more efficient management of hospital resources and has strengthened the continuity and humanization of care, bringing hospital support closer to primary care realities.
For ULS Braga’s clinical director, Aldara Braga, the creation of CAMI represented “an important step” in reorganizing the internal medicine service’s response, promoting greater proximity between various levels of care and avoiding unnecessary emergency visits.
“The results achieved in this first year prove the model’s effectiveness. More than 2,500 episodes were resolved on an outpatient basis, resulting in notable improvements in accessibility, response speed, and care quality, with direct benefits for patients and the healthcare system,” highlights Aldara Braga.
