Ridiculous medical mistakes on TV

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We've all heard it: nurses can't watch medical shows without getting annoyed about how inaccurate they are. Lately, I'm finding that the most ridiculous medical mistakes happen on police procedural dramas (Law and Order, Criminal Minds, etc.); at least the medical shows have people with medical backgrounds advising them.

Anybody have some funny tv medical mistakes to share??

Last week I was watching a rerun of Criminal Minds. The victim had been drugged with haldol by her kidnapper. When the police rushed in to save her, the EMS gave her a bolus of narcan and she magically awoke. It was a flipping miracle!! ?


All these shows, show the "doctors" always doing everything for the patient. When is the last time any one of you guys saw a doctor doing anything for a patient, like giving them a medication, lab draw, or starting an IV. With that said, it doesn't stop me from watching, I have watched Grey's Anatomy since it started.

Specializes in OR/PACU/med surg/LTC.

We occasionally have a doctor start an IV but we are a small hospital with no IV team and the two docs who start IVs are also anesthesiologists.

Have never seen a doctor ambulate a pt, sleep in a pts room to keep.an eye on them (I wish), give medications (besides pushing certain meds that we can't push on our floor).

The biggest thing that frustrates me is when the keep using the debrilator ever 10 seconds. "Shock, Shock again, shock again" No you need to wait two minutes and you can't shock asysyole.

There was one episode of Chicago Hope where a patient was found stone-cold rigor mortis dead and the doctor had a come apart at the nurse. "Why did nobody check on this patient for hours?" The nurse says, "Doctor, this patient was a DNR. There was no order to check on the patient!"

I'm not sure about this?

A healthy young female driving her car hits a telephone pole. Is dazed, minor head wound, gets out of the car and a live electrical wire arching, twitching, on the ground hits her in the chest. She drops down, no pulse.

A police officer starts compressions, she wakes up is taken to the ER. Three to four hours later she is released and walks into the police station to thank the officer.

I assume???? something like that would necessitate a longer evaluation?

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.
3 hours ago, brownbook said:

I'm not sure about this?

A healthy young female driving her car hits a telephone pole. Is dazed, minor head wound, gets out of the car and a live electrical wire arching, twitching, on the ground hits her in the chest. She drops down, no pulse.

A police officer starts compressions, she wakes up is taken to the ER. Three to four hours later she is released and walks into the police station to thank the officer.

I assume???? something like that would necessitate a longer evaluation?

Possibly I guess, maybe? Depends on if she was burned and how bad the shock was I bet. I don't know, interesting thought. I would think if you had a known reason for asystole, they got the heart restarted quickly, then there would be little risk for it recurring. Like if you got hit with a baseball in the sternum at just the right time in your cardiac cycle and it caused an arrhythmia or asystole, if you go it back to normal, there's little chance of it reverting, short of getting hit again. Or if someone codes because they were choking, but then you cleared their airway and circulation and breathing resumed, if it was a really short duration, it's not like they need to be watched in the hospital to make sure they don't choke again LOL

Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.
On 3/22/2019 at 11:43 PM, Nickc58 said:

The show “The Resident” it’s its entirety drives me absolutely bonkers. The entire premise of the show is based on the fact that a resident is calling the shots.....

I like how on Nurse Nic's jacket it says her NAME, BSN, NP.

Uh, no. So wrong.

Specializes in NICU/Neonatal transport.

Missing a couple letters there ;)

Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

I seen on this one low budget Christian movie, the patient was connected to an IV...but when I looked at it closer it was a dang tube feed bag hanging full of water and the purple port was taped to their forearm...lol ?

Specializes in NICU.

I watch foreign channels and I love the scene with the intubated person speaking clearly.

In a sick newborn baby scene , Using real Large old babies in incubators moving ,looking around.

Doctors looking so handsome it is unfair.

Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

And you gotta love it when the babies come out of the womb clean and shiny and obviously a couple of months old...

Hollywood newborns weigh 16 pounds.

I never even knew this. I've taught crutch walking, but I've never taught cane walking.

It was suggested my husband try a cane. The doctor said be sure to use it correctly, not like TV's Dr. Gregory House! You hold it next to your good, strong, leg. Since then I've seen another TV show with the cane used on the incorrect side.

Honestly it somehow seems logical you'd hold it next to your weak leg?

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