Why Doctors Avoid Watching Medical Dramas: Factual Inaccuracies and Unrealistic Outcomes

Medical dramas have long been a favorite pastime for many, offering viewers an insight into the lives of doctors and nurses. However, for many healthcare professionals, these shows fall short of the truth. Here’s why:

Medical Inaccuracies and Misinformation

As a practicing doctor who witnessed a tragic example of how medical dramas can influence public perception, I can attest to the issues these shows create. My father was a doctor in WWII, setting him in an older generation. The only medical drama he would watch was Mash. He believed that watching anything else was not worth the time simply because most medical shows are highly inaccurate and poorly executed, leading to misinformation.

The Realities Behind the Fiction

One such example of exaggerated fiction is the show that portrayed a retinal detachment leading to excruciating pain in a patient who subsequently almost wrecked his car while driving. Any ophthalmologist would tell you that there is no such thing as sudden retinal detachment pain. Such inaccuracies do a disservice to both the medical field and the viewing audience.

The younger sister incident is another such example. Fifteen years ago, a pair of sisters brought their unresponsive father to my practice. While the show might show medical professionals acting with intense and prompt care, in reality, they might not have the resources or time to act in such a manner. The sisters, acting out an episode of ER, subjected their father to unnecessary drama instead of providing genuine comfort or adhering to standard medical ethics.

The Impact on Public Perception

Medical dramas are not just fiction but often set unrealistic expectations. They often depict medical procedures and outcomes that have no basis in reality. For example, a show set about a scare involving an Ebola-like virus led to a situation where all those who came in contact with the patient were isolated in one room. This is a practice that is both unethical and ineffective. Such scenarios can mislead viewers and set unrealistic expectations about medical care.

Medical Ethics Misconceptions

As a former chairman of medical ethics and a consultant after retirement, I have seen how these shows often misrepresent medical ethics. They confuse and conflate terms like coma, vegetative state, and brain death, leading to a skewed understanding of what these terms mean. This can be dangerous as it may mislead the public about patient care and medical decisions.

Misleading Patient Outcomes

Medical dramas not only set unrealistic medical procedures but also unrealistic patient outcomes. A common trope is resuscitating a trauma victim without addressing the underlying cause of their arrest, with the patient waking up and being fine. This is a far cry from the reality where the success rate for resuscitation from an out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest is only 10%, with the other 90% either not surviving or being severely impaired. Such shows mislead the public into believing that medical interventions are more effective and have better outcomes than they actually do.

A Cesspool of Unrealistic Fiction

The fact that these shows often portray medical procedures and outcomes inaccurately is frustrating for many doctors who may not be able to look past the inaccuracies. For instance, in a show concerning an Ebola-like virus, the depiction of isolating those in contact with the patient in the same room was not only unethical but also ineffective. Doctors often feel forced to correct such inaccuracies out of frustration and a sense of responsibility.

For many medical professionals, these inaccuracies and the subsequent misleading of the public can be damaging. It’s important to note that while entertainment is a key component of these shows, their portrayal of medicine can have real-world consequences. Doctors like myself avoid medical dramas precisely because they are too unrealistic and poorly executed, and they prefer to focus on the reality of the job rather than fictionalized versions that may not reflect the truths of medical practice.

Conclusion

Medical dramas can be entertaining, but for those who understand the realities of the medical field, they often fall woefully short of the truth. The inaccuracies can lead to misinformation and unrealistic expectations, making them a non-starter for many doctors. What do you think? Do you find medical dramas to be accurate, or do you also consider their inaccuracies problematic?