Sure, television medical dramas provide great entertainment, but are they able to teach viewers a little something about their health too?
The answer is a definitive “yes,” according to Hollywood Health & Society’s director, Sandra de Castro Buffington, and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” supervising producer Zoanne Clark.
The two paired up to brief Hill staffers Friday, explaining how effective TV shows are in spreading public health messages.
“Two-thirds of viewers learn something, and one-third of those viewers take action from what they learn,” de Castro Buffington said, showing clips of shows including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Her organization, funded by the Centers for Disease Control, provides Hollywood writers and producers with medical experts to ensure what goes on the tube is correct. And even though “Grey’s Anatomy” has many improbable plot twists, Clark said the medical part of the show is actually right on.
“The drama will always win over health stories, but we try to make sure the accuracy of the stories is right on point,” said Clark, a medical doctor with a master’s degree in public health. “How we treat patients is always accurate; how we portray the actual health story, we want that to be accurate.”
