Examining the Influence on Organ Donation by Actor Portrayal of Altruism on the Television Show Grey's Anatomy

Abstract

Introduction

Entertainment portrayals of organ donation continue to inform viewers’ beliefs. Research showed many of the belief’s individuals have about organ donation rose from exposure to popular entertainment programs such as Grey’s Anatomy. Grey’s Anatomy routinely portrays medical doctors in a realistic way as altruistic and heroic medical care providers.

Research Question

The central question asked was whether favorable portrayals resulted in audience’s perceiving real world doctors as altruistic and in turn, favorable organ donation registration attitudes.

Design

The current study employed a cross-sectional survey to adults.

Results

The current study found a positive association between show exposure and show realism among adults (N = 211). Moreover, show realism was positively associated with a belief in doctor altruism. In turn, altruism was positively associated with favorable perceptions toward registering as an organ donor.

Conclusion

The results showed that realism influenced beliefs about medical provider altruism, which in turn can affect attitudes toward organ donation. The next step in this research is to employ rigorous experimental designs to identify the specific contexts and narratives in which these medical portrayals have the greatest impact.