The event, supported by the Lisbon City Council as part of the Lisboa com Saúde program, aimed to clarify referral criteria for a more efficient, patient-centered pathway. The new name and visual identity accompany the transition of the Primary Care referral platform to the RSE SIGA system.
Rita Molinar, Clinical Director for Primary Care at ULS Santa Maria, emphasized during the opening session that referral is “a sharing of responsibility, for the patient's benefit.” She highlighted that the family doctor, a “specialist in people,” benefits from the complementary expertise of hospital specialists, advocating for discussions on what, when, and with what information to refer, while also considering the constraints of those receiving requests.
The first day covered topics such as infertility, menopause, hemogram, and proteinogram. Rita Molinar also presented ULS Santa Maria's vision for innovation, focusing on digital transformation, data, and artificial intelligence, with use cases like early screening for diabetic retinopathy and AI-assisted clinical documentation. The 2027 Innovation Plan includes initiatives like 24/7 telemedicine and clinical management with AI.
The first day's afternoon featured sessions on PrEP in family medicine consultations and hormone replacement therapy, alongside the presentation of works.
The second day focused on frail patients, forgetfulness and pathology, cardiorenal pathology, and low back pain, from consultation to surgical decision.
The conferences concluded with the award ceremony for the best works. The award for best oral communication went to the quality improvement project “Deixa a boca falar”: oral cavity assessment in smokers, by Joana Duarte Gonçalves and team. The honorable mention was for the case report on statin-associated inflammatory myopathy, by Erik Brzezicki and team. In the poster category, the award went to “Hyperglycemia: a case of pheochromocytoma,” by Priscila Araújo and team, and the honorable mention to “Neurosyphilis and its atypical presentation,” by Maria Gonçalves and team.
