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Have you seen pulmonary hypertension depicted in medical dramas?
Hello, PH community!
I enjoyed this column by Anna Jeter. She writes about many of the frustrations she’s had with medical dramas in the past, and how they are often woefully inaccurate. As a patient with pulmonary hypertension, she stopped watching these shows for a long time because they tended to romanticize or dismiss the realities of living with chronic illnesses.
However, she does admire current TV hit, “The Pitt,” for its grounded depiction of healthcare workers and patients. While not perfect, it aims to portray the realities of an emergency department.
Have you seen pulmonary hypertension depicted in medical dramas? How do you feel about the portrayals you’ve seen of chronic illnesses?
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5 Replies
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What an incredible piece from @Anna Jeter! Thanks for sharing this, Kev!
This is the third article I’ve read about the new show The Pitt, and it’s clear it’s hitting on topics other medical dramas haven’t dared to touch.
Like Anna, I binged medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and ER all through nursing school. Even now, I’ll catch a rerun, and it’s striking how none of them have accurately portrayed the reality of chronic health .
Most depictions I’ve seen are wildly inaccurate, treating chronic conditions as if they’re as simple as a common cold. They completely miss the agonizingly long ER wait times, the gamble of hitting a call light, and so many other details of the patient experience.
This is such an important conversation to have. Let’s talk about it!
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Thanks, Jen! Yes, it’s a great show. I hadn’t even watched any medical dramas previously. I especially like that they humanize the patients, and don’t merely describe their conditions.
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Great point, Kev! I’ve also noticed that movies often fail to humanize patients. Also, they sometimes trivialize the gravity of a rare disease diagnosis, treating it as if it were as common and manageable as a cold.
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@jen-cueva I was surprised to learn that you were a nurse! I am sure you made an amazing one! I agree with your comment regarding how shows like ER and Greys Anatomy aren’t the best at always depicting Chronic issues. While ER is still one of my favorite shows it can at times make these issues seem like they have quick and easy fixes.
@Anna Jeter I also love to binge these medical dramas especially ER which I have rewatched around 6-7 times now in the past few years. I think one of the reasons I enjoy ER on a deeper level than shows like Grey’s Anatomy (and now the PITT) is due to its closer attempt of accuracy although not always perfect. I know I had similar issues as you did especially as I progressed through living with PH and my own Transplant where it bothered me to see cases being presented in these shows in inaccurate ways.
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Hi @cullen-steele , Oh, I didn’t realize you weren’t aware of my past work as a nurse. Thank you for your kind words, that’s very sweet of you. I do miss nursing, but now I feel I can help others in a different, more supportive capacity.
And I’m a fan of both ER and Grey’s Anatomy as well! But as I mentioned to Kev, I agree they don’t always do a great job of portraying rare or chronic conditions.
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