Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Portrayal of radiology in a major medical television series: How does it influence the perception of radiology among patients and radiology professionals?

  • Health Economy
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To assess how the portrayal of Radiology on medical TV shows is perceived by patients and radiology professionals.

Methods

In this IRB-approved study with patient consent waived, surveys were conducted among adult patients scheduled for radiological examinations and radiology professionals. The questionnaire investigated medical TV watching habits including interest in medical TV shows, appearance of radiological examination/staff, radiology’s role in diagnosis-making, and rating of the shows’ accuracy in portraying radiology relative to reality.

Results

One hundred and twenty-six patients and 240 professionals (133 technologists, 107 radiologists) participated. 63.5 % patients and 63.2 % technologists rated interest in medical TV shows ≥5 (scale 1-10) versus 38.3 % of radiologists. All groups noted regular (every 2nd/3rd show) to >1/show appearance of radiological examinations in 58.5-88.2 % compared to 21.0-46.2 % for radiological staff appearance. Radiology played a role in diagnosis-making regularly to >1/show in 45.3-52.6 %. There is a positive correlation for interest in medical TV and the perception that radiology is accurately portrayed for patients (r = 0.49; P = 0.001) and technologists (r = 0.38; P = 0.001) but not for radiologists (r = 0.01).

Conclusions

The majority of patients perceive the portrayed content as accurate. Radiologists should be aware of this cultivation effect to understand their patients’ behaviour which may create false expectations towards radiological examinations and potential safety hazards.

Key points

• Radiology in medical TV shows is conveyed as important in diagnosis making

• Presence of radiological staff is less frequent compared to examinations shown

• Positive correlation for interest in medical TV and radiology perceived as accurate

• TV experience may create false expectations and potential safety hazards

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rideout V (2008) Television as a health educator: A case study of Grey’s Anatomy. Kaiser Family Foundation 7803:1–36

  2. Diem SJ, Lantos JD, Tulsky JA (1996) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on television. Miracles and misinformation. N Engl J Med 334:1578–1582

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Murphy ST, Hether HJ, Rideout V (2008) How healthy is prime time? An analysis of health content in popular prime time television programs, Kaiser Family Foundation 7764:1–28

  4. Pfau M, Mullen LJ, Garrow K (1995) The influence of television viewing on public perceptions of physicians. J Broadcast Electron Media 39:441–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Gordon PN, Williamson S, Lawler PG (1998) As seen on TV: observational study of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in British television medical dramas. BMJ 317:780–783

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. McVey D, Stapleton J (2000) Can anti-smoking television advertising affect smoking behaviour? controlled trial of the Health Education Authority for England’s anti-smoking TV campaign. Tob Control 9:273–282

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Brodie M, Foehr U, Rideout V, Baer N, Miller C, Flournoy R et al (2001) Communicating health information through the entertainment media. Health Aff (Millwood) 20:192–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Harris D, Willoughby H (2009) Resuscitation on television: realistic or ridiculous? A quantitative observational analysis of the portrayal of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in television medical drama. Resuscitation 80:1275–1279

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Morgan SE, Movius L, Cody MJ (2009) The power of narratives: the effect of entertainment television organ donation storylines on the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of donors and nondonors. J Commun 59:135–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Quick BL (2009) The Effects of Viewing Grey’s Anatomy on Perceptions of Doctors and Patient Satisfaction. J Broadcast Electron Media 53:38–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Czarny MJ, Faden RR, Sugarman J (2010) Bioethics and professionalism in popular television medical dramas. J Med Ethics 36:203–206

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Chory-Assad RM, Tamborini R (2003) Television exposure and the public’s perceptions of physicians. J Broadcast Electron Media 47:197–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Tobias Heye. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

The authors state that this work has not received any funding. One of the authors has significant statistical expertise. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board. Methodology:Prospective, survey, performed at one institution.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    T. Heye, E. M. Merkle & D. T. Boll

  2. Duke University Medical Center, 2301 Erwin Road, Box 3808, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    T. Heye & R. T. Gupta

  3. Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390, USA

    J. R. Leyendecker

  4. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA

    J. R. Leyendecker

Authors
  1. T. Heye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. M. Merkle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. R. Leyendecker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D. T. Boll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. T. Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Heye.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Heye, T., Merkle, E.M., Leyendecker, J.R. et al. Portrayal of radiology in a major medical television series: How does it influence the perception of radiology among patients and radiology professionals?. Eur Radiol 26, 2863–2869 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-4079-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-015-4079-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation