TY - JOUR
T1 - Are Television Deaths Good Deaths? A Narrative Analysis of Hospital Death and Dying in Popular Medical Dramas
AU - Freytag, Jennifer
AU - Ramasubramanian, Srividya
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019/6/7
Y1 - 2019/6/7
N2 - This study explores death narratives in the popular international medical dramas Grey’s Anatomy (USA), Casualty (UK), All Saints (Australia), and E.R. (USA). Using narrative analysis, we characterize death portrayals in terms of the number and causes of the deaths, the types of characters who die, the narrative structures of the deaths, and themes found within the death stories. We then compare characteristics actual patients, physicians, and caregivers identify as important in a death experience with the characteristics of deaths portrayed in medical dramas. Our narrative analysis shows that death narratives in medical dramas lack narrative fidelity with the characteristics of “good” death experiences described in the literature.
AB - This study explores death narratives in the popular international medical dramas Grey’s Anatomy (USA), Casualty (UK), All Saints (Australia), and E.R. (USA). Using narrative analysis, we characterize death portrayals in terms of the number and causes of the deaths, the types of characters who die, the narrative structures of the deaths, and themes found within the death stories. We then compare characteristics actual patients, physicians, and caregivers identify as important in a death experience with the characteristics of deaths portrayed in medical dramas. Our narrative analysis shows that death narratives in medical dramas lack narrative fidelity with the characteristics of “good” death experiences described in the literature.
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U2 - 10.1080/10410236.2018.1434735
DO - 10.1080/10410236.2018.1434735
M3 - Article
C2 - 29405753
AN - SCOPUS:85041629526
SN - 1041-0236
VL - 34
SP - 747
EP - 754
JO - Health Communication
JF - Health Communication
IS - 7
ER -