Medical dramas – the pros and the cons

Opinion There has been increasing interest in the field of medicine and in the social life of patients as well as health care providers in the realm of the media, namely, films and television shows. Table 1 lists some popular television series that are based on events germane to the medical field [1–7]. These shows constitute a genre in television, the ''medical drama. " A medical drama can be defined as a television drama in which events center on a hospital, an ambulance staff, or other medical environment [8]. Dr. Kildare, which first aired in 1961, is generally considered to be the first medical drama on American television. The show was a success and, soon thereafter, the medical drama became a popular television genre. In the United States, most medical dramas run one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical dramas go beyond the events pertaining to the characters' jobs and portray some aspects of their personal lives. For example, a typical medical drama might have a storyline in which two doctors fall in love [8]. Communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, in his 1964 work on the nature of media, predicted a big success of this particular genre on television because such a medium " creates an obsession with bodily welfare " [8]. These shows have high viewership ratings. For example, the television series House was among the top ten rated shows in the United States from its second through its fourth season; in the 2008–9 season, it fell to nineteenth overall. Distributed to 66 countries, House was the most watched television program in the world in 2008 [5]. Health care providers, in particular, have become more interested in this type of drama and are not only watching the television shows, but are also keenly observing their medical content. There are even websites dedicated to physician reviews on these television series. They review them for medical accuracy [9] and give medical opinions, breakdowns , and expert commentaries on each episode [10]. These television programs have received many awards and critical acclaim. However, they are often controversial in their frank depictions of violence, sexuality, recreational drug use, and surgical procedures [11–16]. This type of drama originated in the United States, but many other countries are developing their own versions of medical dramas [8]. There are some who contend that these television shows can be …