Death, Dying, Violence and Aggression as Shown on Medical Television Series.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: End of Life Care, Violent Aggressive Behavior, Television Viewing, Media Use. Basic parameters: No limits · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Germany, United Kingdom
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
End of Life, Violence and Aggression on TV.
Overview
Medical TV dramas have become very popular in recent years. These shows are mainly created for entertainment and often do not reflect what really happens in hospitals. However, television plays an important role in sharing information, shaping how people think, and teaching the public about medicine. Death and dying in hospitals, especially in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), are highly emotional experiences. In real life, these situations often turn out very differently from what patients and families expect. Because of this, it is important to understand how medical TV shows portray major hospital events such as end-of-life care, death, and the delivery of bad news. When what is shown on TV does not match the reality of ICU care, it can lead to unrealistic expectations, false hope, and greater distress for patients and their families at the end of life. At the same time, violence and aggression towards healthcare providers have increased in recent years. This can include verbal abuse as well as physical attacks. Looking at how healthcare workers are treated in medical TV shows may help us understand whether these programmes influence what behaviour is seen as acceptable. Since violence against healthcare staff has become especially concerning since the COVID-19 pandemic, the possible role of media should not be ignored, even though many factors are involved. This study aims to describe how death and dying are shown in popular medical TV series and to explore how violence or aggression towards healthcare providers is portrayed in these settings.
Primary outcome measures
- Number and type of violent episodes depicted in medical tv series in the OR, the ICU and in the ER. [Time frame: during hospital admission]
- Number and type of death/ dying as depicted in medical tv series in the OR, the ICU and in the ER. [Time frame: during hospital admission]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Type of environment that the behaviour is taking place [Time frame: During the hospital admission of observed patient or family member/ friend]
- Depicted emotions during death/dying [Time frame: During the hospital admission of observed patient or family member/ friend]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Any are clearly visible and/or audible, intentional acts of violence occurring as self-contained scenes within an episode, set in a hospital environment, and taking place between two or more individuals in a medical or professional treatment setting.
- All patients dying within the hospital setting. The death scene must be explicitly shown or named (e.g., flatline, burial, covering of the body). The death must be visibly depicted on screen (the viewer must see the death happen).
Exclusion criteria
- Violence: Violence outside the hospital. Self-harming behaviour or acts of violence that originate from a purely private context and do not arise within a professional medical setting.
- Death: Death outside the hospital. Stories or mentions of death without visual depiction do not count. Implied or off-screen deaths without explicit confirmation or depiction are excluded. Implied or off-screen deaths without explicit confirmation or depiction are excluded.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-only
Study locations
Germany · 1 center
- Medical tv series — Witten
United Kingdom · 1 center
- Medical tv series — London
Publications
- Kumar KA, Ceasar J, Olympia RP. Mortality as depicted in medical TV shows compared with reality. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Jan;75:192-195. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.02.011. Epub 2023 Feb 12. No abstract available. PMID 36806425
- Chartrand L. Dying on television versus dying in intensive care units following withdrawal of life support: how normative frames may traumatise the bereaved. Sociol Health Illn. 2020 Jun;42(5):1155-1170. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13089. Epub 2020 Apr 18. PMID 32304256
- Colwill M, Somerville C, Lindberg E, Williams C, Bryan J, Welman T. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation on television: are we miseducating the public? Postgrad Med J. 2018 Feb;94(1108):71-75. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2017-135122. Epub 2017 Oct 9. PMID 28993522
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07416669 · KCC02022026EOL