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Resumo: Introdução: A população moçambicana tem sido recorrentemente afectada por situações traumáticas devido a catástrofes naturais (ciclones, secas, inundações) ou provocadas pelo homem (conflitos armados), que podem levar ao desenvolvimento de perturbações mentais que, se não forem identificadas e tratadas, deixarão sequelas graves e causarão cronicidade. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo promover uma reflexão sobre a inclusão de temas psiquiátricos de emergência em desastres naturais e conflitos armados nas disciplinas ou módulos de psiquiatria, nos cursos de formação de graduação nas escolas médicas de Moçambique. Método: Trata-se de revisão narrativa da bibliografia, realizada entre abril e junho de 2021, com foco na pesquisa de artigos e documentos publicados nas plataformas virtuais Research4Life, PubMed, Hifa-pt e Google Scholar que abordam o tema desastres naturais e conflitos armados e seu ensino para estudantes de Medicina na disciplina de psiquiatria. Resultado: A inclusão das emergências psiquiátricas em desastres e conflitos armados no curso de Medicina pode proporcionar aos clínicos gerais que atuam na atenção primária à saúde conhecimentos e habilidades para que possam reconhecer emergências psiquiátricas causadas por desastres naturais e conflitos armados e trabalhar nelas, levando em consideração que o país atualmente tem poucos médicos especializados em psiquiatria. Conclusão: A adequada organização e assistência em emergências psiquiátricas à população exposta a desastres naturais e conflitos armados contribui para a resiliência e salvaguarda da saúde mental das comunidades. Neste ensaio, refletimos sobre o desafio de incorporar os temas das emergências psiquiátricas causadas pela exposição a desastres naturais e conflitos bélicos como contribuição para melhorar as habilidades dos médicos generalistas na resposta às demandas prementes de saúde mental dessa população vulnerável.

Abstract Background Although neuroanatomy is considered an essential requirement in medical curriculum, its teaching has undergone many changes in recent years, with most medical schools starting to implement an integrated approach. The current paper describes the comparative evaluation of the neuroanatomy knowledge scores of medical students who attended two different pedagogic approaches of neuroanatomy in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto. Methods Forty fourth-year medical students who attended a traditional stand-alone approach and 42 third-year medical students who attended an integrated approach completed a written test of knowledge. Results Although there were some significant differences, the results globally revealed no statistically significant difference between the neuroanatomy knowledge scores of the integrated and traditional education groups, with most students obtaining a passing score in both curricula. Conclusions Our study is the first attempt to compare the knowledge acquired by medical students from two different pedagogical approaches to neuroanatomy. Although the integrated curricula were only implemented in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto a few years ago, the students who attended these curricula obtained similar scores as those obtained by the students of the traditional curriculum. This finding suggests that an integrated curriculum can be, in light of curricular reform, an efficient approach to teaching neuroanatomy to medical students.

Resumo: Introdução: O mundo tem milhões de infectados pelo SARS-CoV-2, e o desfio permanece em 2021, com a vacinação e o aparecimento das novas cepas. Este é um texto sobre reflexões de como a pandemia está mobilizando as escolas médicas e se as mudanças induzidas pela emergência sanitária nos paradigmas pedagógicos serão revertidas em mudanças culturais. Desenvolvimento: A experiência de confinamento tem sido emocionalmente rica, entremeada por desafios, mergulhos pedagógicos reflexivos e muito trabalho. Analisamos o confronto entre a pandemia e as escolas médicas, com ênfase nos questionamentos a respeito das adaptações e se serão revertidas em mudanças culturais. O desenvolvimento docente não tem sido priorizado nas instituições de educação médica, e a troca do presencial para o remoto não garante mudanças. Conclusão: O docente tem papel nuclear na formação de médicos com competência, ética e humanidade. É necessário avançar, para além do brilho da hiperconectividade, com a instalação de um fórum permanente sobre desenvolvimento docente.

Objectives This study describes the development and implementation of a model to assess students’ communication skills highlighting the use of reflective writing. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the students’ reflections in the assessment of communication skills.Design Third-year and fourth-year medical students enrolled in an elective course on clinical communication skills development were assessed using different assessment methods.Setting and participants The communication skills course was offered at four universities (three in Brazil and one in Portugal) and included 69 students.Outcome measures The students were assessed by a Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (MCQ), an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and reflective writing narratives. The Cronbach’s alpha, dimensionality and the person’s correlation were applied to evaluate the reliability of the assessment methods and their correlations. Reflective witting was assessed by applying the Reflection Evaluation for Enhanced Competencies Tool Rubric (Reflect Score (RS)) to measure reflections’ depth, and the Thematic Score (TS) to map and grade reflections’ themes.Results The Cronbach alpha for the MCQ, OSCE global score, TS and RS were, respectively, 0.697, 0.633, 0.784 and 0.850. The interobserver correlation for the TS and RS were, respectively, 0.907 and 0.816. The assessment of reflection using the TS was significantly correlated with the MCQ (r=0.412; p=0.019), OSCE (0.439; p=0.012) and RS (0.410; p=0.020). The RS did not correlate with the MCQ and OSCE.Conclusions Assessing reflection through mapping the themes and analysing the depth of reflective writing expands the assessment of communication skills. While the assessment of reflective themes is related to the cognitive and behavioural domains of learning, the reflective depth seems to be a specific competence, not correlated with other assessment methods—possibly a metacognitive domain.

Developing the skills and interest in scientific research of medical students is crucial to ensuring effective healthcare systems. As such, in this study, we aimed to assess Portuguese-speaking medical students’ attitudes and perceptions toward scientific research and clinical practice, and how they are influenced by individual characteristics and regional indicators. A total of 455 first-year students from three medical schools in three countries (Portugal, Brazil, and Angola) participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Portuguese students attributed the most importance to scientific skills and were the most confident in their ability to perform these skills. Angolan students were the most motivated to perform research and integrate it into the curriculum, despite having the most negative attitudes and perceiving themselves as having less ability to perform scientific skills. Brazilian students had the least positive attitudes toward science. In Portugal, attitudes depended on gross domestic product (GDP), while in Angola, they were influenced by the type of secondary school attendance. Portuguese students’ perceptions of scientific skills were related to sex, GDP, type of secondary school, and participation in research. In Brazilian and Angolan students, perceptions were associated with age and research participation, respectively. The findings support the need to promote skills and positive attitudes toward scientific research in future physicians, fostering physician-scientists and improving patient care.

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Abstract Background The Brazilian undergraduate medical course is six years long. As in other countries, a medical residency is not obligatory to practice as a doctor. In this context, this paper aims to clarify what and when competencies in communication and professionalism should be addressed, shedding light on the role of university, residency and post-residency programmes. Methods Brazilian family physicians with diverse levels of medical training answered a questionnaire designed to seek a consensus on the competencies that should be taught (key competencies) and when students should achieve them during their medical training. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation tests. Results A total of seventy-four physicians participated; nearly all participants suggested that the students should achieve communication and professionalism competencies during undergraduate study (twenty out of thirty competencies – 66.7%) or during residency (seven out of thirty competencies – 23.33%). When competencies were analysed in domains, the results were that clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be achieved during undergraduate medical education, and interpersonal communication and leadership skills should be reached during postgraduate study. Conclusion The authors propose that attainment of clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be required for undergraduate students. The foundation for Leadership and Interpersonal Abilities should be particularly formed at an undergraduate level and, furthermore, mastered by immersion in the future workplace and medical responsibilities in residency.

Abstract Background Internal grade inflation is a documented practice in secondary schools (mostly in private schools) that jeopardises fairness with regard to access to medical school. However, it is frequently assumed that the higher internal grades are in fact justifiable, as they correspond to better preparation of students in private schools in areas that national exams do not cover but nevertheless are important. Consequently, it is expected that students from private schools will succeed better in medical school than their colleagues, or at least not perform worse. We aimed to study whether students from private schools do fare better in medical school than their colleagues from public schools, even after adjusting for internal grade inflation. Methods We analysed all students that entered into a medical course from 2007 to 2014. A linear regression was performed using mean grades for the 1st-year curse units (CU) of the medical school curriculum as a dependent variable and student gender, the nature of students’ secondary school (public/private), and whether their secondary school highly inflated grades as independent variables. A logistic regression was also performed, modelling whether or not students failed at least one CU exam during the 1st year of medical school as a function of the aforementioned independent variables. Results Of the 1709 students analysed, 55% came from public secondary schools. Private (vs. public) secondary school (β = − 0.459, p

Introduction: Virtual reality simulation is a topic of discussion as a complementary tool to traditional laparoscopic surgical training in the operating room. However, it is unclear whether virtual reality training can have an impact on the surgical performance of advanced laparoscopic procedures. Our objective was to assess the ability of the virtual reality simulator LAP Mentor to identify and quantify changes in surgical performance indicators, after LAP Mentor training for digestive anastomosis. Material and Methods: Twelve surgeons from Centro Hospitalar de São João in Porto (Portugal) performed two sessions of advanced task 5: anastomosis in LAP Mentor, before and after completing the tutorial, and were evaluated on 34 surgical performance indicators. Results: The results show that six surgical performance indicators significantly changed after LAP Mentor training. The surgeons performed the task significantly faster as the median ‘total time’ significantly reduced (p < 0.05) from 759.5 to 523.5 seconds. Significant decreases (p < 0.05) were also found in median ‘total needle loading time’ (303.3 to 107.8 seconds), ‘average needle loading time’ (38.5 to 31.0 seconds), ‘number of passages in which the needle passed precisely through the entrance dots’ (2.5 to 1.0), ‘time the needle was held outside the visible field’ (20.9 to 2.4 seconds), and ‘total time the needle-holders’ ends are kept outside the predefined operative field’ (88.2 to 49.6 seconds). Discussion: This study raises the possibility of using virtual reality training simulation as a benchmark tool to assess the surgical performance of Portuguese surgeons. Conclusion: LAP Mentor is able to identify variations in surgical performance indicators of digestive anastomosis.

Introduction: Students with a previous degree have personal and professional experiences that can contribute to a different academic path during the medical course. This study aims to: 1) analyze both satisfaction and impact of academic recognition; 2) investigate whether motivations and expectations at entrance are maintained along the course; 3) to evaluate socialization after regress to higher education. Material and Methods: To accomplish the first objective a questionnaire was administered to 82 students who entered the medical school from 2011/2012 to 2013/2014. For the second and third goals a focus group was run (three groups with five students each, representing the three academic years). Results and Discussion: Students felt satisfied with the recognition, and 50% of them believe that accreditations replace knowledge acquired with the curricular units, and 47% preferred to obtain accreditation. Academic achievement was negatively associated with the satisfaction of recognition and positively with age, background and registration cycle. Socialization of these students is distinct from the younger ones, their motivations at entrance are intrinsic and, contrary to expectations, are maintained along the course. Conclusion: Students prefer recognition instead of attending the curricular units. The most satisfied with the recognition accomplish less credits and the younger ones, from health area and enrolled in the clinical cycle, accomplish more. Along the course, motivations become more solid, expectations change and socialization is carried out with greater responsibility.

Introduction: Due to scientific and technological development, Medical Education has been readjusting its focus and strategies. Medical curriculum has been adopting a vertical integration model, in which basic and clinical sciences coexist during medical instruction. This context favours the introduction of new complementary technology-based pedagogical approaches. Thus, even traditional core sciences of medical curriculum, like Anatomy, are refocusing their teaching/learning paradigm. Material and Methods: We performed a bibliographic review aiming to reflect on Medical Education’s current pedagogical trend, by analysing the advantages of the introduction and diversification of pedagogical approaches in Anatomy Education. Results: Anatomy Education’s status quo is characterized by: less available teaching time, increasing demands from radiology and endoscopy imaging and other invasive and non-invasive medical techniques, increasing number of medical students and other logistical restrains exposed by the current Medical Education scenario. The traditional learning approach, mainly based on cadaveric dissection, is drifting to complementary newer technologies - such as 3D models or 2D/3D digital imaging - to examine the anatomy of the human body. Also, knowledge transfer is taking different channels, as learning management systems, social networks and computer-assisted learning and assessment are assuming relevant roles. Discussion: The future holds promising approaches for education models. The development of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Learning Analytics could provide analytic tools towards a real-time and personalized learning process. Conclusion: A reflection on Anatomy Education, as a comprehensive model, allows us to understand Medical Education’s complexity. Therefore, the present Medical Education context favours a blended learning approach, in which multi-modality pedagogical strategies may become the landmark.

Introduction: On the subject of curriculum reform, most European medical schools are moving away from an educational approach consisting of discipline-based courses to an integrated curriculum. The aim of this study was to compare, in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Portugal, the teaching of neuroanatomy in a medical curriculum organized by disciplines and in an integrated medical curriculum. Material and Methods: Two hundred sixty one students who completed the Curricular Unit with a discipline-based approach (Neuroanatomy) and 202 students who completed it with an integrated approach (Morphophysiology of the Nervous System) were asked to complete a questionnaire on their perceptions about the Curricular Unit. Results: Our study showed that students of the Curricular Unit with a discipline-based approach had higher grades and evaluated it higher than students who followed the integrated approach. However, it also showed that students’ grades had a significant effect on the evaluation of the curricular unit, with students with higher grades evaluating higher than students with lower grades. Besides, the majority of the students of the Curricular Unit with an integrated approach appreciated this curriculum model and highlighted as a positive point the successful integration of contents covered in the three components of the curricular unit. Discussion: The curriculum reform led to the integration of neuroanatomy with other disciplines and resulted in a reduction of the teaching hours, a redefinition of the syllabus contents and the students’ learning objectives, the introduction of new educational methods and changes in the evaluation system. Conclusion: Our study could not prove conclusively the supremacy of one pedagogic approach to neuroanatomy over the other. Future initiatives to explore different pedagogical models in medical education are needed and should be of major concern to the medical faculty.

Os autores abordam o vazio legal que existe, no acesso, por parte de estudantes de medicina, aos registos clínicos, à informação de saúde, na posse e à guarda legal e institucional das unidades de saúde. Por outro lado, desenvolvem uma tese jurídica que configura a criação do segredo do estudante de medicina e a sua vinculação ao dever de sigilo, como pressupostos que fundamentam o direito do estudante de medicina em aceder e reutilizar informação de saúde. O estudante de medicina tem legitimidade para aceder a informação de saúde, a registos clínicos, já que é inequívoco ser portador de uma necessidade informacional, legítima, constitucionalmente protegida e suficientemente relevante. Concluem, que o poder legislativo se associe às instituições, universitárias e hospitalares, instituindo, por diploma legal, o Segredo do Estudante de Medicina, a sua vinculação ao dever de sigilo e o direito do estudante de medicina em aceder e reutilizar informação de saúde. E deve fazê-lo, em diploma específico, nos precisos termos do texto aprovado, por unanimidade, pelo Conselho das Escolas Médicas Portuguesas, pelo Conselho Nacional de Ética e Deontologia Médicas, pelo Conselho Nacional da Ordem dos Médicos e pelo Bastonário da referida Ordem.

Os recentes debates sobre o papel da Medicina na Sociedade, têm evidenciado uma grande complexidade na adequação das novas referências no Ensino Superior à formação dos futuros profissionais de saúde. O quadro internacional de referência da educação médica tem sido alvo, nos últimos anos, de uma (re)estruturação que se pretende compatibilizar com a evolução das tecnologias na área da saúde e com os novos referenciais de formação integral dos futuros profissionais, onde emerge a necessidade de abordagem da área das humanidades. Como paradigma de referência para a educação médica do século XXI é hoje amplamente adotado o modelo de competências. O modelo pedagógico deve ser inovador sendo: (a) inspirado no modo como trabalham os grupos de investigação; (b) fortemente assente em práticas de colaboração; (c) baseado na cultura profissional; (d) potenciado pela valorização das dimensões experienciais. Apresenta-se um cenário de novas estratégias educativas, a redefinição do perfil do docente e a nova revolução da Medicina, com a dualidade da tecnologia e das humanidades como um recurso atitudinal na educação profissional em saúde, para a aquisição de competências transversais e “transferíveis”, competências humanísticas, capacidade de autoconhecimento e competências de reflexão crítica e profissional.

Abstract Background There has been a growing interest on the assessment of personality when selecting medical students. However, how faking may affect its usefulness has been poorly addressed. Therefore, we aimed to assess the faking effect on self-report personality tests in the selection process of graduates to a medical school. Methods Sixty-seven graduates admitted as medical students completed the 60-item NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability short-form scale at the stage of applying (baseline assessment) and after they had already been admitted (follow-up assessment). Reliability was assessed by the intra-class correlation coefficient and means of the personality traits compared by two paired sample t tests. Results At baseline assessment, the participants showed higher scores on the conscientiousness and lower scores on the neuroticism traits, respectively, 40.3 vs. 38.5 (p= 0.026) and 17.0 vs. 18.5 (p= 0.089). Also, at the follow-up assessment, the participants with low social desirability scored higher on the traits of openness to experience (−1.63 vs. 1.12, p= 0.036), conscientiousness (−3.09 vs. 0.03, p= 0.022), and neuroticism (3.88 vs. −0.69, p= 0.012). Conclusions Our study does not suggest the use of self-report personality assessment in medical student’s selection as it can be faked particularly among applicants with low social desirability. Research is required to evaluate the faking effect on indirect personality assessment, namely through the tools that aim to select non-academic characteristics.

INTRODUCTION:Evidence on personality traits change implies it should be studied as an outcome and not only as an explanatory effect. Therefore, we aimed to assess how personality and academic achievement sway each other. Three cohorts of medical students (n = 181) comprised of school leavers and graduates, completed NEO-FFI when admitted (baseline) and later on medical training (follow-up). Previous achievement was measured as mean scores on national school examinations, and academic achievement as medical course average. Causal relations were studied by cross-lagged analysis. RESULTS:Cross-sectional analysis at baseline showed differences between graduates and school leavers on personality, with graduates scoring lower on neuroticism (β = -12.344, p

Introdução: O presente artigo descreve e analisa os resultados de um curso multicêntrico de comunicação clínica em pequenos grupos com recurso a doentes simulados (atores) e feedback. O objetivo do curso foi estimular o desenvolvimento de competências de comunicação clínica e ainda, reconhecer as diferentes formas de manifestação de uma mesma doença em doentes diferentes (doença versus dolência). Material e Métodos: O curso foi aplicado a estudantes do terceiro e quarto ano do curso de medicina em três universidades brasileiras e uma portuguesa. A avaliação foi realizada através de escalas de apreciação dos participantes, teste de escolha múltipla e autoeficácia. Resultados: Tivemos 69 participantes nas quatro universidades. A avaliação geral do curso (1 - 5) foi de 4,70 (DP 0,494), a autoavaliação sobre a participação foi de 4,07 (DP 0,671); e a avaliação sobre o uso dos doentes simulados 4,51 (DP 0,501). O teste de escolha múltipla, a escala de autoeficácia e a escala de atitudes quanto a aprendizagem dessas competências apresentaram melhoria significativa após a realização do curso. Discussão: O método utilizado teve uma excelente avaliação pelos estudantes independentemente do contexto onde o curso foi ministrado. Além disso, possibilitou ganhos quanto ao conhecimento e atitudes quanto a comunicação clínica. Conclusão: A partir de uma universidade portuguesa em colaboração com docentes e universidades brasileiras foi possível desenvolver uma estratégia de ensino-aprendizagem multicêntrica para comunicação clínica altamente valorizada pelos participantes e com resultados de aprendizagem adequados.

Introduction: Personality has became popular in medical student’s selection. However, few research exists about the association between the big five personality traits and the existent medical school selection tools. Our aim was to study which personality traits were selected by a medical school admission interview. Material and Methods: One hundred ninety four graduate applicants that had applied to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto through the graduate entry approach, after ranked on previous achievement, were interviewed between the academic years of 2011 and 2013. From these, 181 (93.3%) answered to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory that assesses high order personality traits of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Admission interview corresponded to the second phase of the seriation process. Every applicant was interviewed and scored by three interviewers on seven dimensions asesssed by Lickert scale (1-10). Interview score was the sum of the dimensions. Linear mixed effects model and respective regression coefficients were used to estimate the association between personality traits from each interviewer’s score. Final models were adjusted for gender, interviewers and previous achievement. Results: Openness to experience (Beta = 0.18: CI 95%: 0.05; 0.30) had the strongest association with interview score followed by the interaction effect between the extraversion and conscientiousness traits (Beta = 0.14; CI 95%: 0.02; 0.25). Also, applicants scored higher when their gender was opposite to the interviewers. Discussion: Previous achievement and interview score had no association. Conclusion: Our admission interview selected different personality traits when compared to other selection tools. Medical schools should be aware of the implications of the adopted selection tools on the admitted medical student’s personality because it can help providing beneficial interventions.

Introduction: The transition from secondary to higher education is a challenging and demanding period for medical students. The ability to manage study time effectively and to be a self-regulated learner is essential to cope with the exponential growth of knowledge in medical education. Thus, the purpose of our study was to measure self-regulated learning skills and self-study across secondary higher education transition and to explore its effect on academic burnout in the first year of medical school. Material and Methods: We collected data from 102 (43%) freshman medical students on self-regulated learning, academic achievement, and hours of self-study/week relative to last year of secondary school (at the beginning of academic year) and the first year of medical school (at the end of academic year). Burnout data was collected at the end of academic year. Results: Among the 102 participants, 12% were at risk of burnout. Self-directedness at secondary school and higher education, and strategies for learning and assessment at higher education were protective factors against academic burnout. However, secondary selfdirectedness has an indirect effect on academic burnout mediated by self-directedness in the first year of medical school. In addition, self-study during class period was a risk factor for burnout. Conclusion: Our results support the premise that students experience mental health problems from an early stage at medical school. Empowering medical students to develop strategies for learning assessment and self-direction will help them manage their learning and, consequently, promote their well-being. Finally, we found that it is not academic performance that influences burnout but the time dedicated to study.

Introdução: O nível de satisfação com os cuidados de saúde reflete a qualidade dos cuidados prestados segundo a perspetiva do doente. O objetivo do estudo é avaliar a satisfação dos doentes com os cuidados anestésicos num hospital central português através da aplicação do questionário “Heidelberg Peri-anaesthetic Questionnaire”. Material e Métodos: O questionário foi traduzido e testado segundo critérios de qualidade psicométrica numa amostra de 107 doentes submetidos a cirurgia eletiva com internamento no Hospital de São João. A satisfação total e para cada dimensão foram calculadas. Analisámos as diferenças entre doentes com diferentes níveis de satisfação, identificando potenciais fatores de confundimento. Resultados: A versão portuguesa do questionário é constituída por 32 itens distribuídos por três dimensões: ‘equipa’, ‘desconforto’ e ‘medo’. Os valores médios de satisfação para cada dimensão foram 83,4%; 66,8% e 65,9%, respetivamente. A consistência interna foi demonstrada através de valores alfa de Cronbach de 0,776 a 0,875 nas três dimensões. Os doentes de satisfeitos e insatisfeitos diferiram nas três dimensões, com uma diferença menor em ‘equipa’. Na análise multivariada encontrámos influência significativa do género na dimensão ‘desconforto’. Discussão: O questionário apresentou boas características psicométricas. A dimensão ‘equipa’ inclui três domínios do questionário original. Conclusões: A sua aplicação revelou elevados níveis de satisfação com a equipa profissional. A insatisfação é sobretudo um reflexo das dimensões ‘medo’ e ‘desconforto’, sendo este significativamente menor nos homens.

Different studies have demonstrated that there are significant changes in the health and habits/life-style of university students, and it seems that Medical students also reveal a significant vulnerability to the adoption of health risk behaviours. The present study aims to (1) characterize the main sources of academic stress of the Medical School students of the University of Porto as well as the intensity with which they are experienced, (2) investigate the variations in academic stress and psychosocial variables, due to gender, year of course and displacement from home and (3) contribute, for the first time, to the understanding of stress and life-style of medical students in Portugal. The empirical study included a sample of 251 students from all 6 years of the course (160 females and 91 males), evaluated by the following instruments: (1) The Inventory of Sources of Academic Stress in Medical Education (ISASME), and the Portuguese versions of (2) the Brief Personal Survey (BPS), (3) the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12), and (4) the Interpersonal Behaviour Survey-Brief (ICIBrief). In terms of overall levels of stress (GHQ-12), a prevalence of 58.2% of clinically significant stress symptoms was found, with the students from the basic cycle and those who are living away from home, presenting higher levels of stress. In terms of life-style, 47% of the students revealed health risk behaviours, with eating habits, physical exercise, alcohol and drug consumption, and body image being the main problem areas. Gender and year of course seem to have a significant influence on the variables studied, being the female students those who present higher levels of academic stress, stress responses (pressure/overload, physical distress, anxiety, anger/frustration, inefficiency, depression and loss of control), and low levels of coping confidence; the students of the basic cycle reveal higher levels of stress in managing their life-style (academic stress), general stress symptoms and stress responses. This study calls attention for the need of preventive intervention with medical students in order to prevent negative consequences of stress and improve their life-style by promoting individual and social resources.

RESUMO Este ensaio destaca a importância das competências de comunicação clínica (CCC) nas ciências da saúde. Estas competências podem ser ensinadas, aprendidas e avaliadas, e vários estudos evidenciam para as vantagens de uma formação específica nesta área, potenciando a relação que os profissionais da área da saúde estabelecem com os pacientes, cuidadores informais e equipas de saúde, com resultados melhorados nos indicadores de saúde e cuidados mais humanizados. Confrontados com dificuldades na integração de programas específicos de comunicação nos curricula, assim como um défice no processo de avaliação e feedback estruturado, é crucial um investimento na formação pedagógica e no desenvolvimento curricular. Conscientes da escassez de trabalhos sistemáticos que apontam para um consenso sobre as competências e objetivos de ensino-aprendizagem das CCC, o sub-grupo Core Curriculum do comité de ensino (tEACH) da Associação Europeia de Comunicação em Saúde (EACH) desenvolveu e alcançou um consenso para um currículo nuclear nas diferentes áreas da saúde. Neste contexto, surgiu o Health Professions Core Communication Curriculum – HPCCC, que pode servir como referencial flexível de acordo com as necessidades específicas e contribuir para uma maior sistematização das iniciativas de CCC em saúde em língua portuguesa.

ABSTRACT Undergraduate medical curricula are currently undergoing a process of reform, with such changes including the field of neuroanatomy. In this context, the purpose of our study was to assess the status of undergraduate neuroanatomy studies in Portuguese medical schools to provide a basis for a more informed discussion on the curricular changes. With all seven Portuguese medical schools participating in the study, four of them were shown to incorporate a modern integrated curriculum and the other three a conventional discipline-based curriculum. Our study therefore shows that neuroanatomy is approached differently according to each institutional culture. The great variability in neuroanatomy studies across medical schools emphasizes the need for the creation of a national core curriculum on undergraduate neuroanatomy.

O Inventário de Fontes de Estresse Acadêmico no Curso de Medicina (IFSAM) foi desenvolvido para caracterizar as principais fontes de estresse acadêmico dos estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (FMUP) e a intensidade com que são experienciadas. O inventário (31 itens) foi construído por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas a estudantes (n = 80) dos seis anos da licenciatura. Suas propriedades psicométricas foram testadas num estudo com 251 estudantes dos seis anos do curso (160 do sexo feminino e 91 do sexo masculino). A validade de constructo foi avaliada mediante análise fatorial que resultou numa solução de cinco fatores ("exigências do curso", "exigências humanas", "estilos de vida", "competição" e "adaptação") com 54,8% da variância explicada e boa representatividade do constructo. O IFSAM total evidencia ainda uma boa fidelidade, com um coeficiente de consistência interna de.88. Os resultados revelam que o IFSAM apresenta boas características psicométricas na amostra, podendo constituir um instrumento útil na avaliação das fontes e intensidade de estresse acadêmico do curso de Medicina noutras instituições.