Faria de Sousa, PauloJulião, MiguelRodrigues, Ana PaulaNunes, Baltazar2019-03-082019-03-082018-04J Palliat Med. 2018;21(4):410-411. doi:10.1089/jpm.2017.06241096-621http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/6102Letters to the EditorThe need to identify patients with palliative care needs has resulted in the development of many tools. The surprise question (SQ) ‘‘Would you be surprised if this patient were to die in the next year?’’ was tested in several contexts with good results. However, a systematic review and metaanalyses takes a less enthusiast conclusion. It states that the SQ performs poor to modestly and that other tools are warranted. Portugal’s reform and expansion of its palliative care network increase the need of simple and effective referral instruments. There are no studies in Portugal regarding the accuracy of the SQ and its Portuguese translation and validation have been reported elsewhere. (...)engAdvanced Chronic DiseasePrimary CareCuidados PaliativosDeterminantes da Saúde e da DoençaRede Médicos-Sentinelajournal article10.1089/jpm.2017.0624