Are Television Medical Dramas, like "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" Dangerous to Watch?

Are you fan of television medical dramas like "House" or "Grey's Anatomy?" You may think they provide good entertainment. If, however, you have come to expect real life family doctors, as well as doctors and nurses and other medical professionals in hospitals, to resemble the characters on television, you may be entering dangerous territory. Many real life doctors and medical professionals are quick to say real life medical professionals are nothing like the characters on "House," "Grey's Anatomy." To them, such characters do a disservice to the medical profession and create unrealistic impressions among patients. One expert said a doctor in real life, like Dr. Gregory House, the main character in "House," would have probably been sent to prison long ago.

An unnamed emergency room doctor on the blog, "ER Drama: The Blog," said someone in real life who had the interest in pornography and the addiction to narcotic pain medication the television character House does would end up in prison. He wonders why anyone would want such a person as his doctor.

The same doctor says some things that happen on "House" bizarre beyond belief. To him, real life doctors do not always know everything about every rare disease like the characters on the show do, nor are they all genetic specialists, pharmacists, x-ray technicians who do both MRI and CT, social workers, private detectives, chaplains, and abuse counselors-all at the same time. The doctor said he would never go through a patient's drawers or trash to find "clues" as to a patient's health.

He said while some would wonder why a medical professional would be so critical of a fictional television show; the danger is some people cannot separate fact from fiction. He has actually known multiple patients who have been to specialists and then come to him saying, according to the blog, "I have been to my doctor and so many specialists and they can't figure it out, so I decided to come here."

The doctor had to explain that real life medical professionals are not always able to do things like the ones on television do. He said he wishes he did have knowledge in multiple medical specialties like the characters on television, but in real life it takes years to get such knowledge. He said he is not arrogant enough to think he knows as much as such experts.

Real life nurse Cheryl Edwards, on the EagleTribuneonline, recalled a character, Meredith, on "Grey's Anatomy" nearly drowning and then suddenly miraculously recovering and talking.

"Next thing you know, they take the tubes out of her and she's talking," nurse Edwards explained, as reported on the website, holtzreport.com . "A drowning victim would be on the ventilator for days. It just doesn't happen that way."

Nursing student Heather Moore said Meredith would have died in real life. Nurse Cathy Simoes said that professionals would never work for an hour and a half to bring a person without a sustainable heart rhythm back to life. She said in real life such a person would die, and such incidents are purely fictional.

Medical professionals were especially upset that the characters in television did not adequately monitor patients' safety or make certain they are safe in bed. Characters ignore such things as the side rails of a bed being down. Professionals were also critical of how rude Dr. House is to his patients, without ever being disciplined. One said if a real life doctor were that rude, he would be punished. Heather Moore was so disgusted with the show she quit watching. Edwards said a nurse who witnessed a doctor being that rude would report the incident.

Experts also say doctors would not spend days on one patient, at the expense of other patients.

According to the website, kevinmd.com, many patients expect doctors to conduct the same expensive medical tests Doctor House does, tests which are unnecessary.

Medical examiner Dr. John Hu, said he likes one show, "Dr. G, Medical Examiner," on the Discovery Channel, better than the medical dramas, because it follows the life of a real life medical examiner.

When you watch "House," or some other medical drama, just remember it does not represent real life.

Citations:

Life isn't Like Television, Medical Examiner Tells Students, by Doug Carroll, blogs.gcu.edu
As Seen on TV: Real Life Health-care workers say medical shows aren't telling the real story, by Julie Kirkwood, hotzreport.com
House MD: Good Ratings, Bad for Medicine, no author listed, ER Drama: The Blog
How House M.D. is affecting patients expectations of medical care, no author listed, kevinmd.com