title: Use of fictional medical television in health sciences education: a systematic review.
abstract: While medical television programs are popular among health profession trainees, it is not clear to what extent these programs affect their knowledge, perceptions, and/or behaviors. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of research evaluating associations between program exposure and outcomes. We conducted systematic literature searches in Pubmed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Selected studies were required to be scholarly research, involve exposure to fictionalized medical television programming by health professional students, and assess associations between exposure and outcomes. Studies were classified according to quality and factors related to population, exposure, and outcomes. Of 3541 studies identified, 13 met selection criteria. Six studies involved undergraduate medical students, one involved nursing students, two involved both medical and nursing students, two involved medical residents, one involved medical students, residents and attending physicians, and one involved graduate epidemiology students. Mean study quality according to the MERSQI was 8.27. The most commonly assessed television programs were ER and Grey's Anatomy (six each). Five studies assessed regular viewing habits, and found that fictional medical programs are popular among students and that students recall health topics from episodes. The eight studies that assessed the association with outcomes when using clips as educational tools reported high satisfaction and increased knowledge of the presented health topics. While relatively few published studies have explored influences of fictional medical television on health professional students, those conducted suggest that students often view these television programs independently and that integration of this programming into medical education is feasible and acceptable.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Beth L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Library System, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Wessel
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shensa
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. bprimack@pitt.edu.|Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. bprimack@pitt.edu.|Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 230 McKee Place Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. bprimack@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Primack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013690:Television; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Continuing medical education; ER; Education; Grey’s Anatomy; Health sciences medical education; House MD; Nursing education; Quality; Systematic review; Television