Medical Psychology

Code:

M326

Acronym:

PM

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (of 14-02-2000 to 13-06-2025)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Behavioural Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Masters Degree in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIM	167	Official Study Plan	3	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

• To provide the future Doctor with skills, attitudes and behaviors in line with the Global Approach to Man in Suffering


• Understand the specificity of the Doctor-Patient Relationship


• Develop Relationship and Clinical Communication skills


• Understand and know Human Development and the psychological dimension from ilness process throughout the Life Cycle


• Identify and understand the psychological reactions to the disease; differential aspects related to the life cycle, types of pathology and conditions in which one gets sick and interacts


• Learning to recognize psychic suffering, to detect signs and symptoms of suffering


• Learn to identify and deal effectively with the most common psychological symptomatology - Anxiety and Depression


• Stimulate empathic capacity and comprehensive analysis of the relationship with the patient


• Learn to recognize the importance of the doctor-patient relationship and communication in therapeutic adherence


• Develop Relationship and Communication skills with other health professionals


• Understanding the impact of new technologies on the Doctor-Patient relationship


• Learning to Communicate with Family


• Learning to deal with difficult situations


• Learning to communicate bad news


• Learning to Deal with Death and Dying


• Develop knowledge of oneself and of others

Learning outcomes and competences

• Recognize and know how to deal with suffering (one's own and that of others)


• Understanding the disease and illness throughout the life cycle (child, adolescent, adult and older person)


• Recognize the impact of the bio-psycho-social model on the clinic


• Know what empathy is and distinguish courtesy and empathy


• Recognize the symptoms of anxiety and depression (distinguish adaptive and pathological)


• Recognize a grieving process


• Recognize and know how to deal with strong emotions (anger, fear, and intense sadness)


• Acquire clinical communication skills applicable to the clinical interview


• Recognize the complementarity of the clinical interview with the clinical history


• Recognize the advantages and limitations of distance communication


• Recognize the specificity of communication with the child


• Knowing how to communicate with the family


• Knowing how to identify difficult situations


• Knowing how to communicate in difficult situations

Working method

Presencial

Program

Main Themes:

• Illness and getting sick  
• Human Suffering
• The Doctor-Patient Relationship

Theoretical Themes

• Introduction to Medical Psychology
• The disease and sikness process. Psychological reactions to adapt to the disease
• The Clinical Interview
• Doctor-Patient Relationship. Different  models.
• Adherence to therapy
• The Doctor-Child relationship. The child and the disease.
• The Doctor-Adolescent Relationship, The Adolescent and the Disease
• The Doctor-Older Person Relationship
• Anxiety. Semiological aspects.
• Depression. Semiological aspects
• The Pain
• The Grieving Process
• Oncological disease.
• Chronic Disease
• Human Sexuality

 

Mandatory literature

Equipa docente; Artigos anualmente pré-seleccionados
Rui Mota Cardoso (Coordenação) ; Competências Clínicas de Comunicação, Faculdade de Medicina da UP, 2012

Complementary Bibliography

Takk, V; O Relacionamento Médico-Paciente, 1988
Savett, L.A; The Human Side of Medicine, 2002
Michael Balint; O Médico, o seu Doente e a Doença, Climepsi Editores, 2004

Teaching methods and learning activities

Expository approach to the main themes in larger groups. Teorical classes - 1 hour/week

Presentation of selected topics by the students and group discussion. Seminars - 1 hour/ week

Comunication skils trainning with Role-Playing. Pratical classes - 1 hour

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	16,00
Estudo autónomo	86,00
Frequência das aulas	40,00
Trabalho de campo	10,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Participation in attendance (with obligatory presence to 75% of classes) and delivery of group reports (discussion of clinical cases and scientific papers)

Calculation formula of final grade

I. Continuous evaluation (50% - 10 v)

 1.Attendance of classes, presentation and discussion of predefined topics (case reports and cientific papers)

2. Active participation in roll playing;

3. final report- 2 valores


2. Final Examinaiion:(50%-10val) Multiple choice questions and  text answer questions 

It requires a minimum of 50% ( 5 v) on the outcome of the Final Exam

Examinations or Special Assignments

Final Report: "what I have learned.What would I like to have learned ."

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The practical component remains unchanged
The theoretical component will be evaluated through an oral exam

Classification improvement

To improve the classification of the Medical Psychology Curricular Unit, the student must undergo oral evaluation