1. The ethics of reality medical television.
- Author
-
Krakower TM, Montello M, Mitchell C, and Truog RD
- Subjects
- Boston, Hospitals ethics, Hospitals trends, Humans, Mental Competency, Parental Consent ethics, Patients psychology, Physician-Patient Relations ethics, Physicians psychology, Privacy, Public Opinion, Television trends, Third-Party Consent ethics, Videotape Recording trends, Volunteers, Confidentiality ethics, Informed Consent ethics, Journalism, Medical, Television ethics, Truth Disclosure ethics, Videotape Recording ethics
- Abstract
Reality medical television, an increasingly popular genre, depicts private medical moments between patients and healthcare providers. Journalists aim to educate and inform the public, while the participants in their documentaries-providers and patients-seek to heal and be healed. When journalists and healthcare providers work together at the bedside, moral problems precipitate. During the summer of 2010, ABC aired a documentary, Boston Med, featuring several Boston hospitals. We examine the ethical issues that arise when journalism and medicine intersect. We provide a framework for evaluating the potential benefits and harms of reality medical television, highlighting critical issues such as informed consent, confidentiality, and privacy.
- Published
- 2013