Ugh!

Here is the rant of the week: Television POORLY portraying medicine!!

Jon doesn't like watching medical tv shows with me sometimes b/c I pick them apart! I'm like "Seriously, that's not how you do that!" or "What in the world...that patient would be dead if doctors really did that!" And I get that! It would be like me watching Chuck or any other tv show with IT stuff in it and Jon saying "You can't log on like that" or "That computer would be crashing right now if you did that" (k, bad analogy I'm sure....I really know VERY little about computer terminology!)

However, it has especially been getting on my nerves lately. Here are just a few examples! (not that I'm promoting any one tv show in particular!)

Accidentally on Purpose: the OB GYN walks into the patient's room who is labor, puts on a pair of regular gloves (NOT sterile) and without lifting the covers actually examines the patient to make a perfect diagnosis as to how far along she is. Nice! When I'm in labor if your putting your hand up my hoo-ha, you best have the most sterile gloves you can find, thank you very much!

Greys Anatomy: (while I LOVE this show....this one is classic for crap medicine!) Perfect example was when Meridith drowned- after "dying" (and not being intubated at that!) she wakes up minutes later miraculously without any problems! And we wonder why parents come in with unrealistic expectations! Then there are all the episodes where they are in the OR without their masks on, breathing their totally unsterile breaths all over the supposed "sterile" field. And inevitably whenever they bust out the defibrilator paddles watch closely and you will see someone still touching the patient, or the bed....in which case they would get the current too....but obviously this is not shown! Great medicine Greys!

And the one that REALLY (REALLY!) has been getting on my nerves lately: The H1N1 commercial with the lady who talks about how H1N1 "nearly killed me!" It is promoting the vaccine, which fine, if that's the route you want to go then I support that. HOWEVER....PLEASE give us ALL the information!!! Like why did this lady get so sick from the flu....typically these people are already immunocompromised or have some underlying disease process going on. But none of this information is given. Instead, it leaves people freaking out about "Swine flu" and gives people tons of misconceptions. If tv is wanting to give medical information to the lay person, they need to make sure they are presenting both sides of it! And just because you get the vaccine, this doesn't guarantee you won't get the flu! Most important thing: wash your hands a ton, stay away from other sick people, and wash your hands again!

So next time you're watching tv and anything medical comes on...please don't believe it!! 99.9% of all things out there are not true. And if you happen to be bringing your child into the hospital, please don't let these tv shows dictate your expectations or conceptions of how your stay should look....this may sound weird, but trust me people, I see it happen ALL the Time!!! Ahhh, to be a PICU nurse! : )