TV doctors vs. real life: study to examine how medical dramas shape our views on death and violence

NCT ID NCT07416669

Not yet recruiting Knowledge-focused Sponsor: King's College Hospital NHS Trust Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study will analyze popular medical TV series to see how they depict end-of-life care, death, and violence toward healthcare workers. Researchers will review 500 episodes, counting and categorizing violent acts and death scenes. The goal is to understand whether these portrayals create unrealistic expectations for patients and families, and whether they influence attitudes toward aggression against hospital staff.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to: If successful, this study could reveal how TV medical dramas influence public expectations about end-of-life care and attitudes toward violence against healthcare workers.
What could go wrong: This is an observational media analysis, not a clinical trial testing a treatment. It cannot prove cause and effect, and results may not change real-world behavior.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Aggression Death

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

END OF LIFE CARE MEDIA USE TELEVISION VIEWING VIOLENT AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Contacts and locations

Locations

Medical tv series

Witten, Germany
Medical tv series

London, Select, SE1 3BG, United Kingdom

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