Internal Medicine Specialists and Interns at COVID-19

Service Directors Survey referred to April 29, 2020

Dear Directors of Internal Medicine Services,

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge that our SNS has ever faced. Hospitals had to reinvent themselves to find new places of hospitalization for COVID patients. In a short time, several hundred of these patients could be admitted to Portuguese hospitals, in decent wards, with guaranteed quality of care.

I have no doubts, that the selfless work of Internists and Internal Medicine Specialty Interns, has been fundamental for us to have achieved, until now, a relative control of COVID-19 in Portugal.

In addition, the patients with the worst prognosis for COVID-19 are the elderly with multiple pathologies, namely with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, who are the typical patients of Internal Medicine. But, it would be very important that, in addition to our beliefs, we could affirm our work in the pandemic COVID-19, with the unequaled eloquence that the numbers have.

For this reason, I am asking you to answer a very simple survey, which will allow you to assess the involvement of your Service Specialists and Interns in the pandemic COVID-19, referred to on April 29, 2020.

If today it is important for us to know this data, I am sure that it will be even more so in the future. Internal Medicine does not need to look for the media spotlight, but it cannot fail to claim a job that, to a large extent, was yours.

A hug, with the pride of being an Internist!

João Araújo Correia
(President of SPMI)

Note: We appreciate your responses until May 6, 2020