Background: Aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the provision of palliative care for patients with palliative care needs emerges as a necessity more than ever. Most are managed in primary care by their family physicians (FP). This study aimed to understand the perspectives of specialist and trainee FPs about their role in palliative care. Methods: we conducted a double focus-group study consisting of two separate online focus-groups, one with FP specialists (n = 9) and one with FP trainees (n = 10). Results: FPs already gather two fundamental skills for the provision of palliative care: the capacity to identify patients’ needs beyond physical symptoms and the recognition that the patient belongs to a familiar, psychosocial, and even spiritual environment. They perceive their role in palliative care to be four-fold: early identification of patients with palliative care needs, initial treatment, symptom management, and patient advocacy. Participants recognized the need for palliative care training and provided suggestions for training programs. Conclusion: FPs share a holistic approach and identify multiple roles they can play in palliative care, from screening to care and advocacy. Organizational barriers must be addressed. Short training programs that combine theory, practice, and experiential learning may further the potential for FPs to contribute to palliative care.

Introduction: Deprescribing is the process of tapering or stopping medications aiming at improving patient outcomes and optimising current therapy. Some studies have tried to identify which patients will have inappropriate medication deprescribed, but none have found any association with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, number of prescribed medications or duration of medication. Our aim was to determine Portuguese elderly patients’ attitudes and beliefs regarding medication use and their willingness to have regular medications deprescribed.Material and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in triangulation in primary care centres from mainland Portugal and its autonomous regions. We used a random sample of 386 polymedicated older adult patients who answered the questionnaire between October 2018 and February 2019. For the quantitative analysis, we used sociodemographic characteristics, clinical profile and medication. For the qualitative analysis, we studied an included open question by coding participants’ answers; common codes were grouped together. A convergent mixed methods design was used.Results: 74.0% expressed the belief that medicines were generally beneficial. 19.9% reported a strong belief that medicines were harmful and 33.4% that they were overused. 61.8% were against the idea of deprescribing and 24.6% were in favour of deprescription. Those against the idea had a lower education level (p = 0.006) and a higher number of self-perceived morbidities (p = 0.001) than those not against it.Conclusions: Medication benefits were accepted by the majority of patients who also were against the idea of deprescribing. It is important that doctors are aware of this reality, namely in the primary care setting, addressing the patients’ fears and beliefs and making the deprescribing process possible.

Resumo Objetivo Conhecer a perceção do risco individual de infeção HIV; avaliar conhecimentos sobre infeção HIV; conhecer atitudes face ao uso do preservativo em função do sexo; conhecer o embaraço na aquisição, negociação e uso do preservativo em função do sexo, independentemente de preservativo masculino ou feminino. Métodos Estudo analítico-transversal. Amostra não probabilística constituída por 102 estudantes de Enfermagem. Instrumentos: questionário sociodemográfico e perceção do risco; teste de conhecimentos; escala de embaraço no uso do preservativo; escala de atitudes face [...] Resumo Objetivo Conhecer a perceção do risco individual de infeção HIV; avaliar conhecimentos sobre infeção HIV; conhecer atitudes face ao uso do preservativo em função do sexo; conhecer o embaraço na aquisição, negociação e uso do preservativo em função do sexo, independentemente de preservativo masculino ou feminino. Métodos Estudo analítico-transversal. Amostra não probabilística constituída por 102 estudantes de Enfermagem. Instrumentos: questionário sociodemográfico e perceção do risco; teste de conhecimentos; escala de embaraço no uso do preservativo; escala de atitudes face

The high prevalence of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in the elderly makes them a vulnerable group to adverse drug events. Deprescribing is the medication review plus cessation of potentially inappropriate medications with a health professional’s help. Several barriers and enablers influence it, and its knowledge can help health professionals. The objective of the study is to understand the Portuguese elderly’s attitudes and ideas about polypharmacy and deprescription. We made a qualitative approach through a focus group with elderly patients from an adult daycare center with transcription and codification into themes and subthemes based on previous frameworks. Eleven elderly patients participated in the focus group. The identified elderly’s ideas and attitudes could be clustered into five main barriers: appropriateness, process, influences, fear, and habit, and five main enablers: appropriateness, process, influences, dislike, and cost. Although the elderly’s strong beliefs regarding medication benefits and necessity prevail, contrary opinions regarding lack of benefit/necessity, drug interaction/side effects, and medication complexity/number may influence their willingness to deprescribe positively. The health professional’s influence and the patient’s trust in their doctors were perceived essential for decision-making as either a barrier or an enabler. The medication benefit was a big barrier, and side effects/drug interaction experiences are an important enabler.