Medical TV Shows: Accurate or Dangerous?

This week we discuss medical TV shows, such as House and the Pitt and Grey's Anatomy, as well as medical moments on non-medical shows.  Studies suggest that the message of these shows--the doctor as hero, the benefit of aggressive intervention, the fact that there is always a hidden diagnosis behind every complaint--is potentially dangerous.  It certainly feeds into the narrative that the medical industrial complex seeks to ferment, the idea that lifestyle changes are either useless or dangerous, and that a deep dive into high-cost health care will save your life.  "The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism."  -William Osler, MDwww.returntohealing.com