Medical TV keeps us tuned in

OK, not every post on this blog has to be serious. Today I thought we'd take a look at medical dramas on TV - and what your average health care worker thinks about them.

When the show was new it was like clockwork. Every Friday morning, the staff in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore would gather around the coffeepot and talk about the previous night’s episode of “ER.”

“We discussed whether or not the treatments were appropriate. Most of the time they were, but we would always spot a resuscitation bag that didn't inflate and other things,” says Judith Mulloney, a clinical leader in the PICU.

Sure, we all love pointing out the goofs and complaining about the cliched dialogue in the dozens of television dramas, sitcoms and reality shows that take place in hospitals. But what do LifeBridge Health employees think of the way doctors and nurses are portrayed on TV today?

“Some shows are better than others. But when physicians and medical personnel watch shows like 'House,’ I think they say `Come on, give me a break,’” says William Jaquis, M.D., chief of Emergency Medicine at Sinai.

“Patients come to you and say `Is that what really happens in the ER?’” says Janice Delgiorno, MSN, CCRN, ACNP-BC, Trauma Program manager/advanced practice nurse for the Sinai Department of Surgery’s Trauma Division. “A helicopter could crash outside the ER-7, but it’s not realistic.”

Ok, sometimes they get a little carried away. Reality-based shows like The Learning Channel’s “Trauma: Life in the ER,” show real doctors treating real patients. No scripts are needed to capture the drama that ensues when a gunshot victim arrives in the ER.

“I have seen our Trauma Team in action here at Sinai and it is just as intense in real life as on this show,” says Kelli Connor, a nursing manager assistant in Sinai’s ER-7.

Comedies like “Scrubs” and “M*A*S*H” capture the witty, off-the-wall sense of humor hospital workers need to stay sane. You may not actually learn anything by watching them – but it could help keep you out of trouble at work the next day.

“I once got reprimanded by an attending during rounds in the CCU for not hearing of the show “Emergency,” says Samuel Andorsky, M.D., a former Sinai resident.

So what are some of your favorite medical shows and characters? Which shows/episodes made you laugh, cry, or slap your forehead in angst during unrealistic scenes? To get you thinking, I've listed some of the most popular shows of all time:

“Ben Casey” – 1961-1966
Synopsis: Gritty, realistic hospital drama featuring manly Dr. Casey against the medical establishment, at first under the watchful eye of Dr. Zorba and later under the thumb of Chief of Surgery Dr. Freeland.
Starring: Vince Edwards as Dr. Ben Casey.
Memorable Quote: Narrator Sam Jaffe: “Man... woman... birth... death... infinity.”

“Chicago Hope” 1994-2000
Synopsis: The lives and trials of the staff of a major hospital in Chicago.
Starring: Adam Arkin as Dr. Aaron Shutt; Mark Harmon as Dr. Jack McNeil.
Memorable Quote: Dr. Shutt: “Truth is Jeffrey, you are not a stable person. Outside of this hospital I don't even know if you’re functional.”

“China Beach” 1998-1991
Synopsis: Members of the 510th Evac Hospital at China Beach, Vietnam, deal with the horrors of war in 1967.
Starring: Dana Delaney as Lt. Colleen McMurphy,

“Doogie Howser, M.D." 1989-1993
Synopsis: A 14-year-old boy genius is a second-year resident, but sometimes he just wants to be a regular kid.
Starring: Neil Patrick Harris as Doogie Howser.
Memorable Quote: Patient: “You're a kid!” Doogie: “True, but I'm also a genius. If you have a problem with that I can get you someone who's older but not as smart as me.”

"Dr. Kildare" 1961-1966
Synopsis: The story of a young intern in a large metropolitan hospital trying to learn his profession, deal with the problems of his patients, and win the respect of the senior doctor in his specialty, internal medicine.
Starring: Richard Chamberlain as Dr. James Kildare, Raymond Massey as Dr. Leonard Gillespi.

“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” 1993-1998
Synopsis: The trials and adventures of a female doctor in a small Wild West town
Starring: Jane Seymour as Dr. Michaela “Dr. Mike” Quinn.
Memorable Quote: Country music star Kenny Rogers: “Whiskey and truth should both be served straight up, Doctor.”

“E.R.” – 1994-2009
Synopsis: Author Michael Crichton created this medical drama that chronicles life and death in a Chicago hospital emergency room.
Starring: Sherry Stringfield as Dr. Susan Lewis, Noah Wiley as Dr. John Carter, Laura Innes as Dr. Kerry Weaver, and George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross.
Memorable Quote: Dr. Doug Ross: “I'm a doctor and nothing gets in the way of that. Nothing!”

“Grey’s Anatomy” 2005-?
Synopsis: A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical residents and their supervisors.
Starring: Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey; Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang; Katherine Heigl as Dr. Izzie Stevens; T.R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley; and Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev.

“House” 2005-?
Synopsis: While his behavior boarders on anti-social, Dr. House is a maverick physician who loves the challenges of medical puzzles.
Starring: Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House.

“Marcus Welby, MD” 1969-1976
Synopsis: Doctors Marcus Welby, a general practitioner, and Steven Kiley, Welby's young assistant, try to treat people as individuals in an age of specialized medicine and uncaring doctors.
Starring: Robert Young as Dr. Marcus Welby and James Brolin as Dr. Steven Kiley.

“M*A*S*H” 1972-1983
Synopsis: The staff of an army hospital in the Korean war find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Starring: Alan Alda as Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Loretta Swit as Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, and Jamie Farr as Cpl. Maxwell Klinger.
Memorable Quote: PA System Announcer: “Attention, all personnel... the wounded you've all been waiting for has finally arrived in person... report to the Big Top immediately; the circus is about to begin.”

“Medical Center” 1969-1976
Synopsis: Set in Los Angeles, this program pushed the envelope, covering controversial topics like sex changes.
Starring: James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner, Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon and Chris Hutson as Nurse Courtland.

“Quincy M.E.” - 1976-1983
Synopsis: The cases of a coroner who investigates suspicious deaths that usually suggest murder.
Starring: Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy, M.E.

“Scrubs” – 2001-?
Synopsis: Three residents learn the ins and outs of medicine at the mildly psychotic Sacred Heart Hospital.
Starring: Zach Braff as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian; Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliott Reid; Donald Faison as Dr. Chris Turk
Memorable Quote: J.D.: “Dr. Kelso, the doc here has been telling me that you have some great stories. I wouldn't mind hearing one sometime.” Dr. Kelso: “Oh what the (heck). Back in '68 I don't like you. The end.”

“Strong Medicine” – 2000-2007
Synopsis: A fictional medical drama with a focus on women's health issues, as well as progressive social politics and class conflict.
Starring: Rosa Blasi as Dr. Luisa “Lu” Delgado; Rick Schroeder as Dr. Dylan West.

“St. Elsewhere” 1982-1988
Synopsis: The lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital
Starring: Ed Begley, Jr., as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, Howie Mandel as Dr. Wayne Fiscus.
Memorable Quote: Dr. Daniel Auschlander: “Most people associate hospitals with disease. I think of romance. But that's another story.”

“Trapper John, M.D.” 1979-1986
Synopsis: Dr John McIntyre is the new Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital in this M*A*S*H spin-off set 28 years after the end of the Korean War.
Starring: Pernell Roberts as Dr. John Francis Xavier 'Trapper' McIntyre.