| Depiction of seizure first aid management in medical television dramas. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21856575 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate whether medical television dramas portray proper seizure first aid. Methods: Episodes of the four highest-rated US medical dramas ("Grey's Anatomy," "House M.D.", "Private Practice," and "ER") were screened for the presence of seizures. "Patient" age, sex, semiology, and etiology were recorded. The appropriateness of seizure first aid management was determined by comparison to the Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA) guidelines. Results: Among 364 television programs, 65 seizures (in 59 individuals) were identified (30 males; 29 females). Seizures were primary or secondarily generalized tonic-clonic in 53 (81.5%) cases. Other seizure types included complex partial (5, 7.7%), simple partial (1, 1.5%), myoclonic (1, 1.5%), absence (1, 1.5%), and psychogenic (1, 1.5%). On 63 occasions (96.9%), first aid was performed by a health care professional. First aid management was judged appropriate in 21 (32.3%) seizures, inappropriate in 28 (43.1%), and indeterminate in 16 (24.6%). Inappropriate practices included holding the person down (17, 26.2%), trying to stop the involuntary movements (10, 15.4%) and putting something in the person's mouth (11, 16.9%). Conclusions: The first aid management of seizures performed by actors portraying health care professionals was inappropriate in nearly half of all cases. Inaccurate depiction of seizure first aid management may contribute to misinformation of the general public. The television industry could easily incorporate the simple first aid EFA seizure guidelines as a public service without sacrificing dramatic impact. |
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Authors:
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Andrew D Moeller; Jeremy J Moeller; Susan R Rahey; R Mark Sadler |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Canadian journal of neurological sciences. Le journal canadien des sciences neurologiques Volume: 38 ISSN: 0317-1671 ISO Abbreviation: Can J Neurol Sci Publication Date: 2011 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-08-22 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0415227 Medline TA: Can J Neurol Sci Country: Canada |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 723-7 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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