Alismail, A., Meyer, N., Almutairi, W.,

From Digital Culture & Society

CPR in medical TV shows Coralie M.

If you were present while someone was having a heart attack, would you help? If yes, would you use knowledge that you gained while watching a television show? Alismail at Al. discusses, in this article, the use of knowledge gained from medical television shows, to resuscitate someone in need of help after having a heart attack. The author uses information from prior research to prove his hypothesis, which is that as viewer intensity to watch medical tv shows increase, so will their willingness to provide CPR (2018). One can wonder if there should be more laws implemented in the production of television shows, specifically ones that affect our lives, or our perception of institutions. Heart attacks occur often outside of hospitals and away from instruments that could be used to help the patients. Bystanders, according to Alismail at al., use the knowledge they gain from medical TV shows to try and help the patients. This may cause harm to a patient but can also help resuscitate someone. This article goes through different perceptions of the use of CPR.

“Joseph Turow described how medical TV shows affect people’s perception of their physician in real life” (2018). Studies conducted in this article show a correlation between viewers of medical TV shows and their perception of their physicians. They believe the treatments offered in real life are not reflective of what they see on TV. This brings up a valid point from the author, “the producers of these shows should recognize and have some civic responsibility to provide more accurate information given the huge influence of these TV shows” (2018). With the popularity of medical TV shows within the college student community, it is important for researchers and institutions to educate students on emergency protocols. As the author mentioned, the AHA (American Heart Association) should investigate this target market, as potential consumers. The study conducted from this research shows that medical TV shows have a huge influence on college students. They could use these findings as an indicator. Another target market identified in this research are actual physicians. “They discovered that a large portion of physicians watch such programs and that some even use them as a source of medical information” (2018). Although they did not agree with the perception students have of them due to the shows, they believe these could be used as a teaching tool for prospective medical students. “We believe that our findings shed light on a critical opportunity to use medical shows as a platform for public education on OHCA scenarios” (2018).

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