TY - JOUR
T1 - Houseofficers' reactions to media coverage about the sequencing of the human genome
AU - Geller, Gail
AU - Tambor, Ellen S.
AU - Bernhardt, Barbara A.
AU - Rodgers, Joann
AU - Holtzman, Neil A.
N1 - Funding Information:
We appreciate the willingness of the houseofficers to complete the survey. We would like to thank Beryl Rosenstein, M.D. for allowing us to participate in the already overscheduled houseofficer Orientation program, and Veronica Clay for her endless hours of coding and data processing. Jeanette Ezzo, Ph.D. made very helpful comments on a previous draft of this manuscript. This research was supported by a grant (R01 HGO1871-03) from the National Human Genome Research Institute.
PY - 2003/5
Y1 - 2003/5
N2 - After the announcement that sequencing of the human genome was nearly complete, media coverage was extensive. In light of ample evidence that the media are a primary source of health and science information, even for health professionals, media portrayals are often inaccurate or misleading, and discoveries that emanate from sequencing the human genome are likely to influence future health care, it is important to assess physicians' interpretations of media coverage about the human genome announcement. This paper describes the reactions of a sample of new physicians in the United States to this announcement, as well as the content of the stories they read or heard. Semi-structured surveys were distributed to all incoming houseofficers during Orientation at one major academic medical center. Eighty-one percent of 190 houseofficers returned a survey; 123 completed surveys were analyzed. Fifty-four percent of respondents thought the media message was only positive and 21% thought it was negative or mixed. Participants who reported radio as their media source were less likely to recall positive messages (p<0.05). Sixty-five percent and 76%, respectively, had positive perceptions of the impact of the accomplishment on people and on the medical profession. Overall, 48% were enthusiastic and 52% were guarded about the accomplishment. Enthusiasm was related to being an adult primary care houseofficer (p=0.07) or to having heard about it on television or in the newspaper (p<0.05). Of the 36 stories analyzed, newspaper and television reports focused more on medical implications and radio reports focused more on ethical issues. The degree of enthusiasm about the accomplishment reflects the content of the media coverage, and, at least for adult primary care houseofficers, probably reflects the increasing relevance of genetic discoveries to medical practice. Since physicians obtain much of their health and science information from the media, they can play an instrumental role in helping their patients interpret media coverage of advances in genetics and their impact on health care. However, this will require that physicians develop an appreciation of the newsmaking process, and how subtle interactions between politics, the media and science influence the "framing" of media coverage.
AB - After the announcement that sequencing of the human genome was nearly complete, media coverage was extensive. In light of ample evidence that the media are a primary source of health and science information, even for health professionals, media portrayals are often inaccurate or misleading, and discoveries that emanate from sequencing the human genome are likely to influence future health care, it is important to assess physicians' interpretations of media coverage about the human genome announcement. This paper describes the reactions of a sample of new physicians in the United States to this announcement, as well as the content of the stories they read or heard. Semi-structured surveys were distributed to all incoming houseofficers during Orientation at one major academic medical center. Eighty-one percent of 190 houseofficers returned a survey; 123 completed surveys were analyzed. Fifty-four percent of respondents thought the media message was only positive and 21% thought it was negative or mixed. Participants who reported radio as their media source were less likely to recall positive messages (p<0.05). Sixty-five percent and 76%, respectively, had positive perceptions of the impact of the accomplishment on people and on the medical profession. Overall, 48% were enthusiastic and 52% were guarded about the accomplishment. Enthusiasm was related to being an adult primary care houseofficer (p=0.07) or to having heard about it on television or in the newspaper (p<0.05). Of the 36 stories analyzed, newspaper and television reports focused more on medical implications and radio reports focused more on ethical issues. The degree of enthusiasm about the accomplishment reflects the content of the media coverage, and, at least for adult primary care houseofficers, probably reflects the increasing relevance of genetic discoveries to medical practice. Since physicians obtain much of their health and science information from the media, they can play an instrumental role in helping their patients interpret media coverage of advances in genetics and their impact on health care. However, this will require that physicians develop an appreciation of the newsmaking process, and how subtle interactions between politics, the media and science influence the "framing" of media coverage.
KW - Ethical issues
KW - Houseofficers
KW - Human genome project
KW - Mass media
KW - Physician attitudes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037402933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0037402933&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00237-X
DO - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00237-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 12697209
AN - SCOPUS:0037402933
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 56
SP - 2211
EP - 2220
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
IS - 10
ER -