HealthyConcerns.com

When Worlds Collide: Reality TV and Health Care Issues

Awesome interview on Diabetes Mine with American idol runner-up Crystal Bowersox about her Type 1 diabetes (which I didn't even know she had):

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2010/09/crystal-bowersox-her-first-interview-on-diabetes.html

Interesting interview with "technical advisor" for House

I actually don't watch House anymore, but I found this interview fascinating all the same. Enjoy:

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/05/house-md-physician-technical-advisor-interview.html

When posts take a left turn

So, this was going to just be a short, simple post about Dr. Nancy Snyderman getting a new show on MSNBC. Until I started reading the comments on the post I just linked to.

A comment about Snyderman's appearance helps the conversation devolve into a general discussion of women and their various qualifications for being a MILF.

What does the sexism and general crassness of this site's commenters have to do with health? I mean, besides making my blood pressure rise? And besides providing fodder for me to speculate about the psychological syndromes that such comments must be symptoms of?

I guess not much.

Nancy Snyderman, a longtime public figure discussing healthcare in America, got her own show on MSNBC. Because health is top of mind for people in this country. Because we all are aware that our system is in trouble and needs fixing.

And the best some commenters can do is speculate on her physical appearance, not her qualifications to lead this national conversation.

Awesome priorities. Bodes well.

Sigh.

Now I've heard everything...twice!

Two stories this week made my jaw drop:

1. The UK televised an assisted suicide

Hey, I'm actually for assisted suicide, but I think it's incredibly morbid and exploitive to televise it, sorry. 

2. Dead people are getting a little nip and tuck, post-mortem, to look better for their funerals

For. God's. Sake.

Donate that damn money, you vain, creepy people who would do this. How about donate it to organizations that fix cleft palates for children in developing nations, like Operation Smile.

My only question: Did the person televising his suicide get a little work done pre-appearance?

Bah!

Speaking of TV Medicine (Minor "House" spoilers)

Anyone watch this week's House? I enjoed the Rashoman-like look at what went wrong with a particular patient.

But I really didn't like the ending. In the end we discovered that the reason Dr. Chase (the callow Aussie doctor) rushed his consult with the patient and didn't ask the appropriate questions is because he just found out his father had died.

Aw, the poor little puppy. Suddenly our sympathies are meant to turn, and we're supposed to cut the guy some slack (as opposed to when the red herring false revelation was that he was hungover.)

Look, the first argument they presented was that human beings make mistakes. And I can accept that. I used to have a boss who, if you made a mistake of any kind, would ask "why did you do that?" And sometimes there just isn't an answer to the question.

It probably doesn't make the person on the receiving end of the mistake feel any better.

But I can also tell you that I wouldn't feel any better that a doctor made a fatal error over someone I love because they were upset vs. they were hungover.

And P.S.-does anyone else think it's totally unrealistic that they would take one of House's lackeys and suddenly make him the supervisor, rather than corral some other senior level doctor to do it?

More on medical TV

Since I brought up House yesterday I might as well keep up the superficial focus on medicine a la your television and point to this column in Slate.

I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but it sounds like it features both of the quibbles I have with House...but to a much more serious degree. Namely a) inappropriate behavior by the doctors and b) totally inaccurate portrayals of medical situations.

The article is a bit more interesting than the usual ramblings on the topic, including mine, because it covers the history of the medical profession as shown on TV. Turns out the AMA used to have significant control over how medicine was portrayed. Once they lost that all hell broke loose.

Interesting piece. Check it out.

Thew new season of House, so far anyway

Of course the S.O. and I have maintained our TiVO Season Pass to Fox medical drama House, and of course we continue to be completely enamored of Hugh Laurie and his performance. I think it might be time, though, to broaden or change the supporting cast. Some of them seem to have run their course.

My episode recaps and thoughts are in the extended post...

Because you can't get enough of "House"

Another NY Times piece on the TV show House.

Because it's on hiatus right now, and I loves me some House.

Basically the brief piece says, yeah, it's not rally realistic, but who cares? It hearkens back to a time when doctors has the time, energy and lack of fear of malpractice issues to really investigate a case and spend quality time on it.

I just think it's good entertainment personally!

Nurses don't like House

According to Kevin, MD.

Heh.

This is particularly funny to me because the Significant Other and I are always commenting throughout every episode of House, "What, they don't have MRI techs to do MRIs?" Or, "What, they gotta do their own urinalysis?"

We have definitely noticed that the three cute young doctors on house seem to do very little thing themselves. And that it didn't really seem all that, how shall I say, realistic.

The again, we knew we were watching TV, so we weren't exactly looking for stark realism.

Speaking of "House"

Here's a blog called Polite Dissent that does a weekly recap of "House" episodes and especially reviews the medical accuracy. Fun read, but full of spoilers. If you're a TiVo viewer who's always days behind you might not want to read these recaps until you've watched the episode.

Hat tip to Enoch for the link.