For those of us that have been fans of House M.D. on FOX network, we would all agree that this show and Dr. Gregory House’s methods can be very far from being medical reality. I personally know many health care professionals that cringe every time they hear Dr. House say a sarcastic remark to a patient or they observe some unethical action in an episode. But, although real life doctors may get annoyed by shows like House M.D. or Grey’s Anatomy, one thing they have to keep in mind is that these shows are primarily for entertainment and not a “how-to” guide on how to practice actual medicine.
A recent report was done by medical students and faculty at John Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, that found that shows like House M.D are full of unethical actions and improper handling of professional codes of conduct. Their remarks were posted in the April issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics. They are hoping that their study will provoke some dialogue among medical professionals about the influence of hospital dramas.
However, before this even takes place, they have to ask themselves a simple question. How many individuals actually believe that a fictional doctor on TV is behaving just as real as a legitimate doctor? I hardly know anyone that holds to this belief. What these researchers need to realize is that the reason why these shows are appealing and loved by the masses is that they humanize doctors. Most people have no idea who their doctor is other than he or she wearing a white coat with a stethoscope around their neck. There is generally a fear of medical professionals because we don’t know what they are going to find or if they are going to give us some bad news. I think shows like House M.D. sort of demystifies the doctor-patient relationship and allows people to know that doctors are real people, with real issues and lives.
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