2026-10-01 · 5 min
General online consultation: when it is enough, and when to use urgent care or 112
General practice is for problems that can wait. Urgent care is for same-day acute symptoms. Signs that need 112.
The general online consultation (about 20 minutes) is for problems that are not a same-day emergency: a new symptom that can wait, review of a stable complaint, advice and, if clinically indicated, an electronic prescription valid in Portuguese pharmacies.
Use urgent care when the problem is acute and you want an assessment the same day, 8am-10pm Lisbon time: fever, moderate pain, infection, a mild to moderate allergic reaction, or a question about whether to go to hospital. It does not replace 112.
Call 112 or go to hospital emergency for severe chest pain, serious breathing difficulty, stroke signs, loss of consciousness, heavy bleeding, major trauma or suspected poisoning.
You do not need an SNS number or a family doctor. If the only task is renewing stable long-term medication, book prescription renewal, not general practice. If you need absence with sickness benefit, that is the CIT sick-leave consultation.
Have to hand: symptoms and how long they have lasted, medication, allergies and any recent tests. For a child with acute symptoms, use urgent paediatrics.
Frequently asked questions
Does the general consultation include a prescription?
If the doctor considers it clinically indicated, yes. The electronic prescription is accepted in Portuguese pharmacies. It is not issued automatically.
How is this different from urgent care?
General practice is for what can be booked calmly. Urgent care is for acute symptoms the same day,. A life-threatening emergency is 112.
Can I renew blood-pressure or diabetes medicine here?
Stable long-term medication is renewed in the prescription-renewal consultation. General practice fits when there is something new to assess as well.