The House effect.

I’m not much of a TV watcher, but I’ve recently been watching some episodes of House. For you medical TV-drama neophytes, I’ll fill you in: model-worthy medical students and doctors with an unconventional/genius boss, Dr. Gregory House, at a teaching hospital. Very similar to that of ER, Grey’s Anatomy, and the like (and very addictive—which is why I don’t watch TV much—I don’t have the moderation gene).

All of Dr. House’s cases seem to be rare and exciting. So rare that oftentimes when people find out I have Wegener’s they immediately reference several episodes. The not so glamorous aftermath however, never seems to be a part of the script. My favorite typical House med-student line is, “It’s chronic, but the symptoms are treatable.” End of episode, cue the credits and top-40 hit. Hmmmph.

A reader (thanks Sarah P!) sent me this article a few months back, and the more I watch these shows, the more I consider it: The House Effect: Are People Misled by TV Docs?

Talk about a wealth of engrossing facts. To start, researchers cataloged 50 episodes of House and Grey’s Anatomy between fall 2005 and spring 2006. Of those, less than one-third of doctor-patient interactions conformed to real-life standards.

That’s not too surprising to me—my doctor-patient interactions would not warrant much TV time unless you wanted to watch The Nap Time channel. Wait, that’s actually a good idea...

Check out Tiffany O’Callaghan’s article here: time.com/health