Up to 27 May 2022, Portugal has detected 96 confirmed cases of monkeypox. We describe 27 confirmed cases (median age: 33 years (range: 22–51); all males), with an earliest symptom onset date of 29 April. Almost all cases (n = 25) live in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley health region. Most cases were neither part of identified transmission chains, nor linked to travel or had contact with symptomatic persons or with animals, suggesting the possible previously undetected spread of monkeypox.

ObjectivesUnrelieved pain is a substantial public health concern necessitating improvements in medical education. The Advancing the Provision of Pain Education and Learning (APPEAL) study aimed to determine current levels and methods of undergraduate pain medicine education in Europe.Design and methodsUsing a cross-sectional design, publicly available curriculum information was sought from all medical schools in 15 representative European countries in 2012–2013. Descriptive analyses were performed on: the provision of pain teaching in dedicated pain modules, other modules or within the broader curriculum; whether pain teaching was compulsory or elective; the number of hours/credits spent teaching pain; pain topics; and teaching and assessment methods.ResultsCurriculum elements were publicly available from 242 of 249 identified schools (97%). In 55% (133/242) of schools, pain was taught only within compulsory non-pain-specific modules. The next most common approaches were for pain teaching to be provided wholly or in part via a dedicated pain module (74/242; 31%) or via a vertical or integrated approach to teaching through the broader curriculum, rather than within any specific module (17/242; 7%). The curricula of 17/242 schools (7%) showed no evidence of any pain teaching. Dedicated pain modules were most common in France (27/31 schools; 87%). Excluding France, only 22% (47/211 schools) provided a dedicated pain module and in only 9% (18/211) was this compulsory. Overall, the median number of hours spent teaching pain was 12.0 (range 4–56.0 h; IQR: 12.0) for compulsory dedicated pain modules and 9.0 (range 1.0–60.0 h; IQR: 10.5) for other compulsory (non-pain specific) modules. Pain medicine was principally taught in classrooms and assessed by conventional examinations. There was substantial international variation throughout.ConclusionsDocumented pain teaching in many European medical schools falls far short of what might be expected given the prevalence and public health burden of pain.

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Introduction Evidence shows that sexual dysfunctions (SDs) are very prevalent in both sexes and that they share risk factors with many other conditions. It is known that only a minority of people experiencing sexual problems seek treatment, but the role of the general practitioner (GP) in SD diagnosis and treatment is relatively unexplored. No study has been conducted in Portugal in order to identify GPs’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding SD and only a small amount of similar studies from other countries have been published. Aim To characterize GPs’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning SD; practices of SD management in daily practice; self-perceived competence in discussing and treating SD; and need for training. Methods Cross-sectional study using confidential self-administered questionnaires applied to GPs working in Primary Health Care Units in the Lisbon region. Main Outcome Measures The questionnaire collected information concerning GPs’ knowledge and perceptions regarding SD, training and practice in sexual health, criteria for initiating discussion and treatment, and the adoption of guidelines. Results A total of 50 questionnaires (30 females) were obtained (73.5% response rate). On average, the 50 participants were 52 ± 8.6 years old, had 21 ± 8.2 years of family practice, and followed 1,613 ± 364 patients. The degree in medicine was never considered as an extremely adequate source of information both for male and female SD. Lack of time to obtain relevant information for clinical practice and to deal with sexual health issues were perceived as important barriers in initiating a discussion with the patient, as well as lack of academic training and experience in this area. Conclusions GPs expressed a high need for continuous training in this area and more than half considered that their degree was not an adequate source of training. These results indicate that there is a need for both pregraduate and postgraduate training in this area.