Research Burden in the Portuguese Residency Program: Cardiology’s Unique Challenge

Gonçalo Ferraz Costa; Vanda Devesa Neto; João Presume; Diogo Santos-Ferreira; Pedro Azevedo; José Durão; Fernando Montenegro Sá

doi:10.20344/amp.23626

Research Burden in the Portuguese Residency Program: Cardiology’s Unique Challenge

Authors

Gonçalo Ferraz Costa Cardiology Department. Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra. Coimbra. & Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR). Coimbra. & Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6510-3690
Vanda Devesa Neto Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. & Cardiology Department. Unidade Local de Saúde de Viseu Dão-Lafões. Viseu. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0625-3159
João Presume Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. & Cardiology Department. Unidade Local de Saúde Lisboa Ocidental. Lisbon. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0078-6512
Diogo Santos-Ferreira Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. & Cardiology Department. Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho. Porto. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1428-1651
Pedro Azevedo Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. & Cardiology Department. Unidade Local de Saúde do Algarve. Faro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1464-4785
José Durão Almada-Seixal Public Health Unit. Unidade Local de Saúde Almada-Seixal. Almada. & Conselho Nacional do Médico Interno. Ordem dos Médicos. Lisbon. https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3636-553X
Fernando Montenegro Sá Conselho de Jovens Cardiologistas. Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Lisbon. & Unidade Local de Saúde de Matosinhos. Matosinhos. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3175-3673

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.23626

Keywords:

Biomedical Research, Cardiology/education, Curriculum, Internship and Residency, Portugal

Abstract

This study analyses the research output expected for the final curricular evaluation of Portuguese medical residency programs, with particular focus on cardiology. All publicly available specialty-specific evaluation grids were reviewed in December 2024. Cardiology required 46 research items to attain maximum scoring, including research papers and congress abstracts stratified by journal quartile. This was the highest requirement among all specialties, compared to a median of 11 across all specialties. Uniquely, cardiology was the only specialty to quantitatively specify participation in research projects, clinical trials, and registries. In contrast, it scored below average in the most recent national residency satisfaction survey. However, no significant correlation was observed between the number of required research items and overall satisfaction. These findings suggest a potential misalignment between curricular evaluation criteria and the actual conditions of residency training. Reviewing these requirements may help create a more balanced and sustainable training environment.

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References

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Martins S, Bastos J, Mendonça C, Franco-Pego F, Durão J, Inácio R. Burnout among Portuguese residents: a case for change. Acta Med Port. 2024;37:682-3.

Bigotte Vieira M, Godinho P, Gaibino N, Dias R, Sousa A, Madanelo I, et al. Satisfação com o internato médico em Portugal. Acta Med Port. 2016;29:839-53.

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Published

2025-10-29

How to Cite

Ferraz Costa G, Devesa Neto V, Presume J, Santos-Ferreira D, Azevedo P, Durão J, Montenegro Sá F. Research Burden in the Portuguese Residency Program: Cardiology’s Unique Challenge. Acta Med Port [Internet]. 2025 Oct. 29 [cited 2025 Dec. 6];. Available from: https://actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/23626

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