Doctor's images in the Korean medical drama viewed from the perspective of Medical Professionalism / 의료커뮤니케이션

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: TV dramas can affect the identity of a person or group that the public perceives by presenting virtualized characters and events. The image of a doctor in the medical drama can influence the identity of a contemporary physician group. The authors analyze several medical dramas in Korea from the viewpoint of medical professionalism and try to contribute to the enlightment of the image of the doctor.METHODS: Among the medical dramas that have been broadcast since medical professions began to appear, 5 dramas were selected for analysis. The author reviewed them by four major areas of medical professionalism: contribution to society, compliance with the four principles of medical ethics, professional autonomy, and recognition from society and scored an upper-middle-lower grade.RESULTS: ‘Contribution to society’ and ‘recognition from society’ were well-founded in all dramas, except ‘Doctor Stranger’. In the case of ‘compliance with the four principles of medical ethics’, ‘Golden Time’ and ‘Romantic doctors Kim’ most frequently violated it. The ‘medical ethics principle’ was frequently infringed on ‘Doctor Strangers’, In the case of ‘Doctors’, the violation of the ethics principle was reduced as the conflict between the drama characters were emphasized. ‘Professional autonomy’ is best demonstrated by stubborn doctors appearing in ‘Golden Time’ and ‘Romantic Doctors Kim’.CONCLUSION: It is necessary to criticize the doctors image in the current drama from the view point of the medical professionalism and to continue to teach the drama writer about medical professionalism.