The concept of cultural intelligence has been the object of increasing attention from the scientific community due to its importance in a globalized world. To fulfil their mission, higher education institutions need individuals capable of effectively interacting with others who come from different cultural backgrounds. This study analyzes the level of cultural intelligence and its background in a Portuguese engineering higher education institution. This study used a cultural intelligence scale and applied it to a sample of 445 participants. The results show that individuals in this Portuguese institution have an interesting level of awareness of others’ cultural preferences. However, particular attention should be paid to improving the outcome of the cognitive dimension. The results show the potential of international experiences and activities that foster cultural exposure. Consequently, the managers of institutions should make efforts to promote Erasmus programs or similar internships abroad. In addition, they should promote activities that foster multicultural contact, whether extracurricular activities or multicultural clubs or associations, meetings, lectures or classes with appropriate pedagogical methodologies, for example, experiential or collaborative teaching.

Emergency is a health condition that poses an imminent risk to life. In this context, operations and triage protocols play an important role in the correct functioning of the Emergency Department, a key component of national health systems. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of a group of patients regarding emergency departments that use the Manchester Triage System, a triage protocol widely adopted in Europe. The research approach used was phenomenography, which allows us to explore in depth the diversity of experiences lived by a group of patients. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed to identify the categories that allows a qualitative description of patient’s experiences. The results are structured in the following categories: “Healthcare professional roles“, “Waiting time to be cared“, “Triage protocol“ and “Emergency department utilization“. These results can be used to improve the way patients experience emergency situations and to contribute to increasing knowledge about the impact of emergency departments and triage protocols on patients.