Entering the Conversation

It is apparent that Greys Anatomy has many effects on its viewers, based on research.
Not everyone has the same interpretation of what the show is portraying. Some people find that
the medical life and experiences that are shown are very real and even find they learn something
new from what they have seen. Others feel the opposite and that the show is falsely depicting
hospitals and the medical world. Based on the articles reviewed above, it is evident that where
some people think the show is as close to real life as you can get, others have their doubts. This
show also tends to influence its viewers in different ways. Whether it is how some view their
own medical professionals, or if some choose to pursue such careers based on what they have
seen depicted in the show. It isnt like this on TV (2015), shows that some people are
questioning and researching the facts that the show displays, while other articles are calling it a
good source of educational information. With all the different ways that this show can be
perceived, I want to explore the accuracy of the show to see how much of what is seen is true
and should be believed.
In order to further my research, I will design a study that will help me compare what we
see on the television to the real world of medicine and hospitals. The study will focus on current
doctors and how they believe the show compares to the hospitals that they work it. In order to do
this I will generate and distribute a survey to a number of doctors that fit the descriptions of the
doctors shown in the show. It is important that the people who are surveyed match the
descriptions of the doctors on Greys Anatomy so there can be a better understanding as to how
the techniques in the show match up to the techniques used in real life. These survey questions
will measure the reality of what we see on the show. Questions will range to cover items such as

the looks of the ER and hospital to the major medical discoveries and procedures. In order to
complete this part of the study must be to have all of the participants watch the show. The
doctors from a local surgical hospital will all be given the survey to take and give their input.
This part of the survey will help get professional opinions on how the show itself relates to the
everyday responsibilities of medical professionals.
The next part of this study will better measure how the steps taken in the show compare
to the decisions that actual doctors and surgeons would make. By doing this I would be taking
cases from in the show to see how accurate the descriptions, diagnosiss, and treatments, are. To
complete this, I would compile cases from the show. I would start by doing initial research that
defined the disease or problem to see if they match up and correctly identify them on the show.
After this, I would have the real doctors hypothetically diagnosis and treat the patients that are
listed. Although they would not face things as in surgical complications, such as those shown in
Greys Anatomy, they would be asked to identify the names of some diseases and disorders along
with the proper tools, procedures, and treatments for what is presented. This would compare how
real the cases that are shown actually are in real life. Also it would give insight to real
professional opinions about proper techniques and procedures when dealing with the medical
emergencies and processes. These two studies will further my research on the accuracy of the
medical world as it is portrayed in the hit medical drama Greys Anatomy.
THE SURVEY
Survey would be as followed:
Please read and complete the following survey thoroughly and honestly. Each question will be
asked on a scale of 1-10 (1 being not accurate at all and 10 being perfectly accurate).

1. In general, how accurately does Greys Anatomy depict its doctors (the way they look,
their scrubs, ect.)
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2. How well does the terminology used in the hospital compare to the terminology you use
daily?
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3. How accurate are the tools that the show displays in terms of what is available to you in
the hospital?
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4. How does the set-up of the surgery rooms compare to those you use in your hospital?
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5. How does the set-up of the ER compare to the ER you have/ work in, in your hospital?
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6. How do the medical technologies and equipment they display in the show compare to that
of which you use and have available?
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7. How real/accurate are the surgical procedures that they perform in the show (are the
surgeries they perform and terms they use correct)?
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8. In terms of doctor to patient relationships, how well does the show depict the way you
interact with your patients for the most part?
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9. Although you cannot predict every patients condition that walks into the ER, how
accurately does the show depict the everyday patients that you are faced with in terms of
each persons needs for medical attention?
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10. How accurate do you find the survival rates that they show to be?
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11. How accurate do you find the death rates that they show to be?
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12. Often there are medical mishaps in the show, how does this relate to the number of
mistakes or road blocks that you face in your job?
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13. Speaking about each of the roles that the doctors in the show plays, how well does it do
in depicting the everyday duties of the individual doctors (is that what a resident really
does? An intern? A chief? Ect.)?
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14. Throughout the show there are multiple medical discoveries that come up (ex: medical
imaging machine), how possible and or real are these advances?
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15. Speaking very broadly, on a scale of 1-10 how closely do the medical aspects of Greys
Anatomy relate to real life hospitals?
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RESULTS OF STUDY
By completing this study there would be certain aspects that I would be looking to see in my
results. I would like to be able to have a better understanding of the accuracy and truth behind
the medical world that is displayed in the show Greys Anatomy. The show depicts many
different scenes that could be filled with educational information and truth about what working
in a surgical hospital is like if in fact it is all accurate. By completing this study, I hope to gain
insight on this matter from real world professionals who actually go through this lifestyle and
work every day. If the results of the survey result in all, or mostly all, answers that lean toward
an answer of 10, I will know that what we are seeing on television is a good representation of
what these real world doctors face every day. However, if most of the survey answers lean
toward a 1, it will be evident that the show is not accurate and does not do justice to real life
hospitals and doctors. The second part of the study that asks doctors to asses and treat
hypothetical patients that mirror those who come into the hospital, will allow me to see if the
course of action that is shown on the television resembles what would actually happen in real
life. If the doctors reply in a way that is the same or very similar to what is on the show, then it
will be easier to make the assumption that the doctors in Greys Anatomy act and respond very

similar to real life doctors. In conclusion of the study that I would conduct, I would hope to grasp
an understand, and have support behind, whether Greys Anatomy is a good representation of
the medical world and hospitals like the one shown on television, or not.