March 10, 2011
The Ethics of Boston Med
Thursday, March 10, 20114:00 – 6:00 pm
Harvard Medical School
D-Amphitheater, Armenise Building
210 Longwood Avenue, Boston
Terence Wrong, Executive Producer, ABC;
Ms. Jeannette Pollet, family member;
Anthony D. Whittemore, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Brigham and Women’s Hospital;
Elizabeth D. Blume, MD, Cardiologist, Children’s Hospital Boston; and
Theresa Gallivan, RN, Associate Chief Nurse, Massachusetts General Hospital
A panel presentation and discussion to explore ethical issues raised by the ABC medical documentary series Boston Med
- What were the reasons why BWH, MGH, and CHB all agreed to participate? What were the anticipated benefits? What were the most weighty concerns? Were the hospitals satisfied with the outcome, and would they do it again if given the opportunity?
- Did the participation of the clinicians / patients / families meet the standards of informed consent. In retrospect, do the participants feel either exploited or empowered by their experience? How do these participants look back on their involvement? Would they do it again? Why or why not?
- To what extent did the program reflect reality about the lives of hospital clinicians, and to what extent did it promote traditional stereotypes about surgeons, nurses, etc?
- Was the purpose of the series purely to provide entertainment, or were there educational goals as well? If so, how did the producers seek to balance the entertainment aspect with an accurate portrayal of the values and culture of clinical medicine? Were the hospitals and participants satisfied with the balance?
For more information, and to RSVP e-mail DME@hms.harvard.edu.