Are Medication Orders in Fictional Medical-themed Television Shows Accurate? A Retrospective, Observational Study
Alexas O. Polk
St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System, University of Georgia Savannah, GA, USA
Sarah E. DeMott
University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phillip L. Mohorn
Department of Pharmacy, Spartanburg Medical Center, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Spartanburg, SC, USA
Amy J. Yanicak
Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia, WA, USA
Meagan C. Miles
Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Greensboro, NC, USA.
Gabrielle L. Furgiuele
University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Monica R. Litsas
Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA
Kristen G. Scott
South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Andrew W. Sides
Division of General Internal Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia, SC, USA.
P. Brandon Bookstaver *
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objective: To determine the degree of accuracy of medication orders in fictional medical-themed television shows.
Design: Retrospective, observational, study
Setting: A review of available US fictional medical-themed television shows identified via an Internet Movie Database search of shows originally airing from September 1989 to May 2014.
Participants: 4,854 medication orders from 33 unique fictional, medical-themed television shows
Primary Outcome Measures: Percentage of accurate medication orders; type of medication order and error, if applicable.
Results: The analysis revealed that 88.1% of medication orders were accurate with an average of 2.06 medication orders per episode. Orders from five shows were 100% accurate. The most common categories of drugs prescribed were antidysrhythmics/vasopressors/ACLS agents (21.6%), anti-infectives (14.9%), and analgesics/antipyretics (12.5%). The medications coincide with the most common medication indication categories seen: trauma, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. The most common reason for inaccuracy was incorrect dose, representing 44.6% of errors; followed by inappropriate indication (43%). Medication orders prescribed in children (<18 years), using generic names, for acute cardiovascular indications, and given intravenous route were significantly more common among inaccurate orders.
Conclusions: The information in verbal medical orders provided, while incomplete, contains accurate information, with final analysis of the medication orders from fictional medical-themed television shows demonstrating overall accuracy. Evaluation was limited however as many verbal orders were incomplete with no dose given or lack of detailed indication.
Keywords: Medications, media, television, medication errors, fictional