Is your breathing tube a bad fit? You can blame “ER”

Hilarious? Or Frightening?

I keep going back and forth about this one: It’s both hilarious and frightening, but I don’t know which one wins out. Maybe I don’t want to know.

According to an analysis that appears in the journal Resuscitation, when young doctors confront a medical situation they’re unsure of, many of them apparently ask themselves, “What would Dr. Kovac do?”

For those of you who weren’t fans of “ER,” Dr. Kovac was one of the most popular cast members of the long-running NBC drama. But even if you never saw the show, you’re probably aware that the role of Dr. Kovac was played by an ACTOR who was not an actual DOCTOR.

Seems simple enough.

But when researchers at the University of Alberta Hospital conducted a review to find out why so many residents and medical students were using the wrong technique to insert breathing tubes in patients, they found that many of them were using methods they had seen on television – primarily on “ER.”

Un-be-LIEV-able!

When researchers reviewed an entire season of “ER,” they found 22 instances where breathing tube insertions were visible. All 22 techniques were wrong because none of the actors are doctors!

You would think that detail would be glaringly obvious to someone smart enough to attend medical school.

Now that “ER” is off the air I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Unless they’ve started watching “Scrubs” reruns.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“Real Doctors Influenced by TV Doctors” United Press International, 3/24/09, upi.com