After the opening of the Advanced care centers (Centres de soins avancés - CSA), the daily balance sheet and forecasts will make it possible to best anticipate the day-to-day management of the influx of patients.
Structures:
- Luxembourg-City (23.03.): Luxexpo
- Esch-Belval (24.03.): Rockhal
- Ettelbruck (25.03.): Däichhal
- Grevenmacher (27.03.): Cultural centre
The CSAs have been opened with variable consultation lines, according to the sanitary needs of each sector. The number of these consultation lines can be increased if necessary.
A CSA, in its initial configuration, can allow up to eight doctors to be seen in parallel.
Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the first phase, including weekends. If necessary, it is planned to extend the opening hours as needed.
By way of illustration, the treatment capacity in Luxembourg City is 1,500 patients per day - 25 people are present there continuously.
Functioning:
These new facilities are designed to operate through two strictly separate lines of consultation - the first is designed to accommodate patients with signs of COVID-19 infection, the second is designed to accommodate patients who come to the centre with no signs of COVID-19 infection.
In order to limit waiting times as much as possible, each channel provides healthcare of several patients in parallel.
Medical and administrative staff:
A physician is responsible for the clinical examination of patients during the entire time the CSA is open. He is assisted in his care by nurses who take vital signs (measurements of basic body functions) and collect clinical information.
A team is also involved in gathering administrative information and another team is in place to handle logistics.
Patient management process:
The CSAs are ambulant treatment centres that have the necessary medical equipment for initial care. However, emergencies must respect the usual channels in place in Luxembourg and not go through the CSAs. However, if a patient's state of health deteriorates while under the care of the CSA, a medical evacuation is planned.
In order to meet the essential criteria of avoiding contact between patients with symptoms of COVID-19 and other patients, these individuals are triaged as soon as they arrive at the Advanced care centre. At the reception desk, they are thus directed either to the protected COVID-19 channel or to the general medicine channel and find themselves in separate waiting rooms. Their data are recorded by separate administrative departments and they are then attended by a nurse who takes their first anamnesis. Then a clinical examination is carried out by a physician.
Patients who are suspected by the physician of having COVID-19 infection are tested on site. If the test is positive, they are redirected according to their state of health. Either they can go home for self-isolation or they are transferred to a hospital structure in a specially equipped ambulance if their state of health requires it.
Finally, consultation in a CSA is free of charge: The patient will have to bring his social security card and an identity document.
Press release by the Ministry of Health