Radiologists rarely represented in movies, limiting patient awareness about the specialty

Radiologists are rarely represented in film, a fact that may be limiting patient awareness about the specialty, according to new research. 

Based on a search of the Internet Movie Database (commonly referred to as IMDb), radiologists appear as key parts of the plot in about 19 titles, with only nine available on major streaming platforms. Of those, seven were offered in English or with subtitles, according to an analysis published in European Radiology [1].

Due to writers confusing radiologists with technologists or other physician professions, only three films featured members of the specialty. One included an “extremely negative” depiction, while another had an accurate portrayal of a rad performing his job. 

Ali Rastegarpour, MD, an assistant professor of radiology at the University of South California, believes changing these numbers could improve awareness about the profession. 

“The scarce and usually inaccurate media representation of radiologists and radiology has been suggested as a potential reason for the apparent ‘invisibility’ of radiologists and lack of awareness towards the roles they play in healthcare,” Rastegarpour wrote Sept. 19. “There are no studies on the representation of radiology in film and cinema,” he added later. “In fact, as a cinephile, I found it difficult to recall a movie in which any of the main characters were radiologists. For these reasons, I set out to quantify the representation of radiology in film.”

For the study, Rastegarpour queried IMDb for the keyword “radiologist” within the section where plot summaries are provided. He also performed the same search for other medical specialties. He further analyzed content to confirm whether a radiologist was the main character of the movie and how he or she was portrayed. Only three had enough critic reviews to formulate a Rotten Tomatoes score, “demonstrating the obscurity of most of these titles.” 

Of the three films that included a radiologist, one—“A Breast Expose: The Breast Kept Secret”—was negative in nature, Rastegarpour noted. The plot description reads: “Are mammograms the biggest scam ever perpetrated in medical history? Doctors, scientists and advocates warn women of their alleged grave harm.” Meanwhile, two movies depicted radiologists on the job. In “The Sentiment of the Flesh,” the radiologist character is often seen obtaining radiographs. 

“This film presents the radiologist’s obsession with the human form, inside and out, as an erotic theme, and while not a negative portrayal, it is not a routine portrayal of what radiologists do on a daily basis,” the author noted. 

In “Promises in the Dark,” a radiologist is the main character’s love interest. This was the only film that showed a radiologist providing interpretations of images. In one scene, he is shown dictating. He also provides consultations to other physicians about images. 

“This is probably the only instance of an accurate representation of radiology in film,” Rastegarpour noted. 

When comparing radiology to other physician professions, the specialty was tied for 13th place with anesthesiologists in terms of feature film representation. In books, radiologists fell to 18th after emergency medicine, “possibly a better indicator of the true representation, since an in-depth look showed that many films did not actually feature any radiologists.” Psychiatrists and surgeons are some of the most represented specialties, while rheumatologists appear the least. 

There are about 25 individual television episodes that contain the word “radiologist” in the plot. However, there are no TV series in which members of the specialty have a large enough presence to appear in the series description. “Home and Away,” an Australian soap opera, led the way with radiologists appearing in three episodes.

“This is obviously not the entirety of radiologist representation,” Rastegarpour wrote. “Many radiologists do appear on the big and small screens, just not enough to be an important part of the plot. The series, ‘Scrubs,’ for example, has depictions of radiologists. Dr. Barton Lane famously made an appearance in ‘The Exorcist.’ Even a further look into some of the movie titles leads me to believe there is a series about radiologists.”

For Rastegarpour, the analysis has implications for building greater awareness about the profession. 

“Considering this representation, it is not surprising that the general population are not well-informed about what radiologists actually do,” he concluded. “Now whether that is good or bad, I will leave to the radiology community to determine, but if awareness is the goal, it seems that increased outreach is a necessary initiative. Radiologists may be less incentivized to talk to the media or serve as media or film consultants, as patient-facing physicians benefit from the marketing when they make media appearances, while many radiologists are not selected directly by their patients. With appropriate incentives in place, there is space to increase the media presence of radiologists. As media becomes more decentralized, there are more opportunities for radiologists to create content on social media, which may play a role in outreach initiatives. In time, these may translate to increased presence in traditional media, including film.”

Read more, including potential study limitations, at the link below. Rastegarpour also highlighted a 2009 Journal of the American College of Radiology [2] study exploring the depiction of radiologists in TV shows.