Acta Medica Port
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The need for palliative care is increasing. Future doctors must be prepared for this, so it is essential to develop skills during their undergraduate studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of medical students at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra regarding palliative care. ⋯ Fifth-year medical students know what palliative care is and consider it important. However, they do not feel adequately trained and ready to take care of patients who need palliative care. It is essential to reflect on how physicians should be trained and to reconsider the medical syllabus, given the present lack of undergraduate medical training in palliative care.