Authors

1Agustín Pablo González Murillo, 2Emilio Pintor Holguín, 3María Elena Castelao Naval, 4Margarita Rubio Alonso, 5Olga Castelao Naval, 6Benjamín Herreros Ruiz-Valdepeñas

Position

¹ Dpto. de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Europea de Madrid.²Dpto. de Especialidades Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas. Universidad Europea de Madrid.³Dpto. de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Europea de Madrid.⁴Dpto. de Especialidades Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Europea de Madrid.⁵Dpto. de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Europea de Madrid.⁶Dpto. de Especialidades Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas. Universidad Europea de Madrid.

Contact email: apablo.gonzalez@uem.es

Abstract

Objective: In the last decade, a number of TV-shows on medical practice have been broadcast in Spain, some of which have achieved a high share of the viewing figures. We aimed at assessing whether or not our nursing students watch medical TV-shows, as well as the number of TV-shows, the frequency, the reasons they like them and their potential impact on them.
Materials and methods: An observational study was carried out in first and third grade nursing students during 2011-2012 at the Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM) Nursing School. A survey on medical TV-shows viewing and perception was performed, based on the most popular ones during the 2010-2011 season in Spain: Hospital Central, House, and Grey's Anatomy. Field work was carried out from October to November 2011.
Results: A questionnaire was filled out by 244 students (65% of the whole sample): 119 first year and 125 third year students. Most respondents (192, 78.7%) were female. Mean age was 25.3 ± 7.7 years (range 17-55); 40.2% of respondents (98) were working in the healthcare sector. Watching between one and three TV-shows was admitted by 72.5% of respondents, with House being the most popular (44.3%). A high medical credibility was ascribed to the TV-shows (higher than 2.5 in a 1 to 5 scale); with Grey's Anatomy achieving the highest credibility score. A potential impact of the TV-shows on their professional career selection was admitted by 18.4% of respondents, the proportion being higher for first year students, those younger than 23 years, and those not currently working in the healthcare field.
Conclusions: Taking into account the apparently higher impact and credibility of such TV-shows among first year students, our duty as teachers includes a word of caution for such students and promoting a critical view on medical-scientific contents in the show.

Keywords:

medical TV-shows; nursing students; observational studyTV-shows

Versión en Español

Título:

Series médicas en televisión: lo que ven y piensan de ellas los alumnos de Enfermería