Death, Dying, Violence and Aggression as Shown on Medical Television Series.
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
AgeNot listed
SponsorKing's College Hospital NHS Trust
About this trial
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.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
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).
Disqualifiers
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.
Trial population
Fictional characters in the studied TV series
Trial design
Design model
Case-only
Time perspective
Retrospective
Treatments tested in this trial
Not listed
Trial groups
500 Participants
are grouped into 2 trial groupsGroup A: Violence and aggression
Group B: End of life
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Number and type of violent episodes depicted in medical tv series in the OR, the ICU and in the ER.
Violence/ aggression behaviours including: intentional physical, verbal, psychological/ emotional and/ or sexual
Time frame
during hospital admission2
Number and type of death/ dying as depicted in medical tv series in the OR, the ICU and in the ER.
End of life scenes depicting the death and dying process
Time frame
during hospital admissionSecondary outcomes
1
Type of environment that the behaviour is taking place
Describe the environment in which violent behaviour and/or death/ dying is taking place
Time frame
During the hospital admission of observed patient or family member/ friend2
Depicted emotions during death/dying
Describe the emotions that are demonstrated by family members/ friends dying death/ dying
Time frame
During the hospital admission of observed patient or family member/ friendSponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
King's College Hospital NHS Trust
Lead sponsor
University of Witten/Herdecke
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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