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COVID-19 struck the world and stretched the healthcare system and professionals. Medical students engaged in the pandemic effort, making personal and professional sacrifices. However, the impact of these sacrifices on students` professional development is still unknown. We applied constructivist grounded theory to individual audio diaries (total time = 5h38 min) and interviews (total time = 11h57min) performed with 18 last-year medical students during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. The perspective of making sacrifices caused initial emotional distress in medical students, followed by a negotiation process revolving around three themes: predisposition to sacrifice, sense of competence, and sense of belonging. This negotiation process led to three response patterns: Pattern A: "No sense of duty"-the sacrifice was perceived as meaningless, and students showed intense anger and a desire to flee; Pattern B: "Sense of duty with hesitation to act"-the sacrifice was acknowledged as legitime, but students felt unprepared to contribute, leading to feelings of frustration and shame; and, Pattern C: "Sense of duty with readiness to act"-the engagement with the sacrifice was perceived as an opportunity to grow as a doctor, leading to fulfillment and proudness. Students ready to engage with the COVID-19 effort experienced identity consonance, reinforcing their professional identities. Students who felt incompetent or found the sacrifice meaningless experienced identity dissonance, which led to emotional suffering and the consideration of abandoning the course. Monitoring students' emotional reactions when facing professional challenges creates opportunities to problematize the role of sacrifice in the medical profession and scaffold professional identity development.

As crises agudas de descompensação de uma doença crônica são, na maioria das vezes, manejadas em ambiente de pronto-socorro. Nesses serviços, os profissionais emergencistas enfrentam vários desafios, como falta de informação completa sobre a doença do paciente, escassez de recursos e a pressão de ter que tomar decisões em pouco tempo. Nesse contexto, o que pode ser feito para prestar um cuidado centrado no paciente, que seja, ao mesmo tempo, tecnicamente adequado e alinhado a seus valores? Compreender a situação do paciente em relação a sua doença; conversar com o paciente sobre sua condição clínica, compreendendo seus valores e sentimentos; entender o tempo como Kairós, ou seja, o tempo da consulta como uma oportunidade de entender as necessidades do paciente, e construir um plano terapêutico compartilhado são possíveis soluções para esse desafio. O manejo adequado de pacientes portadores de doenças graves demanda que todos os elos dos sistemas de saúde estejam em funcionamento e integrados desde a atenção primária à saúde até a assistência hospitalar e a atenção domiciliar, tendo como ponto de partida a educação dos profissionais de saúde e o fortalecimento de ambientes de trabalho que favoreçam a expressão de Kairós. Trata-se de um caminho longo e fundamental para sistemas de saúde como o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e que gestores e profissionais de saúde não deveriam se dar ao luxo de ignorar.

Acute crises of decompensation of a chronic disease are, in most cases, handled in an Emergency Room setting. In these services, emergency care professionals face several challenges, such as incomplete information on the patient's disease, scarce resources, and the pressure of having to make decisions in a short time. In this context, what can be done to provide patient-centered care that is at the same time technically appropriate and aligned with their values? Understanding the patient's situation in relation to their disease; talking to the patient about their clinical condition, comprehending their values and feelings; and understanding time as Kairos - that is, the time of the consultation as an opportunity to understand the patient's needs and build a shared therapeutic plan - are possible solutions to this challenge. Proper handling of patients with severe diseases requires that all links of health care systems are functional and coordinated from primary health care to hospital and home care, starting with the education of health care professionals and the strengthening of work settings that foster the expression of Kairos. This is a long and fundamental path for health care systems such as the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and that health managers and professionals should not afford to ignore.As crises agudas de descompensação de uma doença crônica são, na maioria das vezes, manejadas em ambiente de pronto-socorro. Nesses serviços, os profissionais emergencistas enfrentam vários desafios, como falta de informação completa sobre a doença do paciente, escassez de recursos e a pressão de ter que tomar decisões em pouco tempo. Nesse contexto, o que pode ser feito para prestar um cuidado centrado no paciente, que seja, ao mesmo tempo, tecnicamente adequado e alinhado a seus valores? Compreender a situação do paciente em relação a sua doença; conversar com o paciente sobre sua condição clínica, compreendendo seus valores e sentimentos; entender o tempo como Kairós, ou seja, o tempo da consulta como uma oportunidade de entender as necessidades do paciente, e construir um plano terapêutico compartilhado são possíveis soluções para esse desafio. O manejo adequado de pacientes portadores de doenças graves demanda que todos os elos dos sistemas de saúde estejam em funcionamento e integrados desde a atenção primária à saúde até a assistência hospitalar e a atenção domiciliar, tendo como ponto de partida a educação dos profissionais de saúde e o fortalecimento de ambientes de trabalho que favoreçam a expressão de Kairós. Trata-se de um caminho longo e fundamental para sistemas de saúde como o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e que gestores e profissionais de saúde não deveriam se dar ao luxo de ignorar.Las crisis agudas de descompensación de una enfermedad crónica se manejan con mayor frecuencia en un entorno de Urgencias. En estos servicios, los profesionales de urgencias se enfrentan a varios desafíos como la falta de información completa sobre la enfermedad del paciente, la escasez de recursos y la presión de tener que tomar decisiones en poco tiempo. En ese contexto, ¿qué se puede hacer para proporcionar un cuidado centrado en el paciente, que sea al mismo tiempo técnicamente adecuado y alineado a sus valores? Comprender la situación del paciente con respecto a su enfermedad; hablar con el paciente sobre su condición clínica, comprender sus valores y sentimientos; comprender el tiempo como Kairós, es decir, el tiempo de consulta como una oportunidad para comprender las necesidades del paciente y construir un plan terapéutico compartido, son posibles soluciones a este desafío. El manejo adecuado de los pacientes con enfermedades graves requiere que todos los eslabones de los sistemas de salud funcionen y se integren desde la atención primaria a la salud hasta la asistencia hospitalaria y la atención domiciliaria; teniendo como punto de partida la educación de los profesionales de salud y el fortalecimiento de ambientes de trabajo que favorezcan la expresión de los Kairós. Se trata de un camino largo y fundamental para los sistemas de salud como el Sistema Único de Salud brasileño (SUS) y qué los gestores y profesionales de salud no deberían darse el lujo de ignorar.

Resumo As unidades de emergência recebem pacientes mais graves, com doenças agudas ou crônicas, e sujeitos a sequelas ou danos irreversíveis. Nesses casos, priorizam-se cuidados paliativos para oferecer mais qualidade de vida, conforto físico, emocional, social e espiritual, elementos essenciais para o término da vida. Uma das formas de proporcionar maior bem-estar é a extubação paliativa, ou seja, a retirada do tubo orotraqueal, que tem o propósito de evitar o prolongamento do processo de morte do enfermo e aliviar o sofrimento de todos os envolvidos. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi refletir sobre essas questões a partir do relato de caso de paciente sujeita a extubação paliativa em unidade de emergência referenciada. Abstract Emergency units receive patients of greater severity with acute or worsened chronic conditions, and subject to sequelae or irreversible damages. In these cases, palliative care is prioritized, aiming to provide a better quality of life, with measures that promote physical, emotional, social and spiritual comfort, as essential elements of care for the end of life. One of these forms of comfort is palliative extubation, that is, the removal of the orotracheal tube, which is intended to alleviate suffering and avoid the prolongation of the death process for all those involved. Thus, the purpose of this study was to reflect on these issues from the case report of a patient subject to palliative extubation performed in a reference emergency unit. Resumen Las unidades de emergencia reciben los pacientes más graves, con enfermedades agudas o crónicas, y sujetos a secuelas o daños irreversibles. En estos casos, se priorizan los cuidados paliativos, para ofrecer más calidad de vida, conforto físico, emocional, social y espiritual, elementos esenciales en el fin de la vida. Una de las formas de proporcionar mayor bienestar es la extubación paliativa, es decir, la extracción del tubo endotraqueal, que tiene el propósito de evitar la prolongación del proceso de muerte del enfermo y aliviar el sufrimiento de todos los involucrados. De esta forma, el objetivo de este trabajo fue reflexionar sobre tales cuestiones a partir del relato de caso de una paciente sujeta a extubación paliativa en una unidad de emergencia referenciada.

As Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Graduação de Medicina de 2014 estabelecem que o perfil desejado do profissional compreende uma formação humanista, crítica, reflexiva e ética. Alinhada a tais diretrizes e buscando concretizá-las, a Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brasil, definiu em seu plano político-pedagógico o objetivo formar profissionais capazes de “aplicar princípios éticos e humanísticos nas relações com pessoas e a comunidade, respeitando os princípios de cidadania, visando a redução das desigualdades, bem como adequar criticamente a sua vida profissional aos contextos social, político e histórico vigentes, com perspectiva transformadora”. Este trabalho discute um processo pedagógico no âmbito das disciplinas de Bioética no curso de medicina, cujo objetivo foi desenvolver competências e habilidades para tomada de decisões clínicas fundamentadas nos princípios e diretrizes dos direitos humanos ao longo do processo de formação profissional.

Context The psychological realm of medical students' moral experiences is explored tangentially in medical education literature, often in the context of ethics or professionalism education. This study deepens our understanding by (a) investigating the nature of moral dilemmas experienced at the onset of clinical practice, (b) exploring students' emotional response to these dilemmas, and (c) examining how students perceive the influence of these dilemmas on their professional development. Methods This is a cross‐sectional qualitative study carried out in 2017 that applied thematic template analysis to individual interviews performed with last‐year medical students. The interviews followed the drawing of a Rich Picture representing moral dilemmas experienced by medical students at the onset of clinical practice. Results Moral dilemmas have four intertwined dimensions. The first relates to students' struggle to prioritise, balance and apply conflicting moral values; the second comprises the clash between students' inner motivation and the external constraints that limit the moral action; the third refers to the conflict between students' current attitudes with the desired/idealised attitudes of the doctor they intend to become; and the fourth corresponds to weighting conflicting ethical principles during the moral decision. Students' emotional responses are intense and long‐lasting, and with a remarkable residue effect, particularly when the moral decision does not align with their moral beliefs. Moral dilemmas are impactful experiences that affect the professional development of medical students and can culminate in both detachment and growth in moral courage. Conclusion Moral dilemmas are memorable, complex and emotionally intense experiences that impact the professional development of medical students. Understanding students' moral dilemmas can help educators to devise pedagogical activities to anticipate and reflect on these experiences. These activities should happen under the guidance of a non‐judgemental facilitator, capable of listening and legitimating students' thoughts and feelings while providing insights to nurture their professional development., Exploring the nature of medical students' moral dilemmas in clinical practice, Ribeiro et al. expose how memorable, multidimensional, impactful, and emotionally intense these experiences are.

In general, students have few opportunities to address their emotions under the guidance of an experienced physician, which can undermine their self-confidence to deal with real patients in stressful situations. Emotional detachment and cynicism are defense mechanisms, which can emerge as a consequence. The consolidation of a professional identity committed to patients’ interests can become a challenge when medical students are not comfortable in their role as caregivers. In general, we consider that the undergraduate medical curriculum has been insufficient in providing appropriate environments for students to reflect on professional identity formation and on the future challenges of their profession. Objective: To develop an in-depth debriefing to address students’ emotions and professional identity formation in the context of a simulation activity with simulated patients at a medical school in Brazil. Methods: The authors conducted a simulated medical consultation activity using standardized patients (SPs) with an in-depth debriefing based on the feelings of the patient and the student. During each encounter the formation and consolidation of professional identity was discussed. Fourth- and sixth-year medical students (n=551) participated and answered a questionnaire about the activity and the learning outcome. Results: The students felt comfortable during the activity, due to "openness to dialogue", "proximity with colleagues and teachers" and the "judgment-free environment". More than 90% reported that what they had learned would be useful in their professional and personal lives, providing a greater "understanding of emotions", "empathy", "ability to listen" and "ability to deal with conflicts". More than half of them were motivated to study, especially "doctor-patient relationship", "treatment", "common diseases" and "medicine in general". Students considered the activity important for retrieving the initial reasons that had led them to embarking on the medical profession in the first place. Conclusions: Reflecting on disease and its impact on patients’ daily life may motivate learning in medicine, allowing for the recovery of the personal and social meaning of its practice. In-depth debriefing was important to nurture professional identity committed to empathy and patients’ interests. Activities planned to discuss the influence and importance of emotions in medical practice can help students to reconcile personal and professional identities.

BACKGROUND: Lung ultrasound (US) is an excellent tool to assess lung edema in a myriad of different clinical situations. We hypothesized that lung US might also be a good prognostic and management instrument in septic patients, regardless of disease severity.METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study at an urban academic emergency department (ED). Inclusion criteria were as follows: septic patients, at least 18 years old, admitted at the ED of a tertiary hospital. A simplified lung edema scoring system (SLESS) was developed, and 6 thoracic regions were evaluated. Four different lung US patterns were considered, from normal aeration to total consolidation. To evaluate disease severity, the SLESS was compared with the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis Score and the third version of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score scoring systems. Aiming to assess the effect of the lung edema in the gas exchange, the SLESS was compared with the Pao2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio.RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were enrolled in a 3-month period. The SLESS had a good correlation with the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis Score and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (r = 0.53 and r = 0.55, respectively; P < .001 for both) and a negative correlation with the Pao2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (r = -0.62; P < .001). The SLESS also showed correlation with the respiratory rate (r = 0.45; P = .0003). The odds ratio for death related to the SLESS was 1.370 (95% confidence interval, 1.109-1.691; P = .0035).CONCLUSION: The SLESS is an easy and practical scoring system. It might be a useful tool to predict severity of disease in sepsis patients. The SLESS might also be able to be correlated with the oxygen exchange.

Objectives To examine if the empathy levels of first-year medical students are amenable to didactic interventions idealized to promote values inherent to medical professional identity. Methods This is a pretest-posttest study designed to assess the empathy levels of first-year medical students (n=166) comprising two consecutive classes of a Brazilian medical school, performed before and after a didactic intervention. Students attended a course based on values and virtues related to medical professional identity once a week over four months. Every didactic approach (interviews with patients and physicians, supervised visits to the hospital, and discussion of videotaped simulated consultations) was based on “real-world” situations and designed to promote awareness of the process of socialization. Students filled out the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) on the first and last days of this course, and the pretest-posttest analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Results The mean pretest JSPE score was 117.9 (minimum 92, maximum 135) and increased to 121.3 after the intervention (minimum 101, maximum 137). The difference was significant (z=-5.2, p

Assessment of sepsis severity is challenging. Available scoring systems require laboratory data. Therefore, a rapid tool would be useful.To determine the role of mitral valve tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) as a prognostic tool in septic patients.For this prospective cohort, newly admitted septic patients received TDI measurements of s wave (s), e' wave (e'), and E/e' ratio (E/e') within 5 min of resuscitation. Results were compared with sepsis severity measured by Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA).Over 3 months, 63 patients were enrolled. TDI parameters correlated with MEDS, SAPS 3, and SOFA (r = -0.53, r = -0.55, r = -0.36, respectively, for s, p0.005; r = -0.56, r = -0.49, r = -0.40, respectively, for e', p0.005; and r = 0.56; r = 0.48; r = 0.46, respectively, for E/e', p0.005). Mean s and e' decreased among sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock patients (14.2; 12.05; 10.14 cm/s, respectively, for s, p = 0.0048 and 18.28; 15.14; 12.12 cm/s, respectively, for e', p = 0.003), whereas mean E/e' increased among sepsis stages (4.76; 6.51; and 8.14, respectively, p = 0.001). Mean s and e' were higher in survivors (13.25 vs. 7.33 cm/s, for s, p0.0001; and 16.4 vs. 9 cm/s for e', p = 0.0025); mean E/e' was higher in nonsurvivors (10.85 vs. 5.63, p0.0001). On univariate analysis, odds ratios (ORs) for death related to s, e', and E/e' were, respectively, 0.517 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.344-0.775), 0.60 (95% CI 0.433-0.833), and 1.953 (95% CI 1.256-3.008); p0.05 for all. Multiple logistic analysis showed an OR of 1.737 (95% CI 1.037-2.907, p = 0.035) for death related to E/e'.TDI may be useful to assess disease severity and prognosis in newly diagnosed septic patients.