‘The Pitt’ viewers explored organ donation, end-of-life plans: Study

(NewsNation) — People who tuned into TV drama “The Pitt” were more inclined to make end-of-life plans or look into organ donation, a study from the University of Southern California’s Norman Lear Center found.

Researchers from the center’s Hollywood, Health & Society division interviewed 25 medical professionals and 1,409 HBO Max viewers about their attitudes regarding two specific storylines in the Emmy-winning show’s first season.

Of the viewers questioned, more than half — 709 — had seen at least three episodes of “The Pitt,” which centers on a Pittsburgh emergency room and one of its doctors who suffers from burnout and trauma.

The two story arcs — one addressing organ donation and another about end-of-life decisions — spanned multiple episodes.

Compared to nonviewers, people who’d seen either storyline were overall more likely to have a more positive attitude toward and interest in discussing end-of-life plans with their family. The storyline’s effect was most felt among Black audiences, the study found.

Similarly, viewers were more likely than nonviewers to have looked into organ donation (26.9%), end-of-life (38.8%) planning and blood donation (41.1%).

When it came to sharing, 15.3% of viewers said they passed along end-of-life planning information to others, and 17.2% said the same for organ donation.

Medical professionals overall said the show made them feel “seen” and found its situations and storytelling authentic.

Interviews for the study began in late 2023. USC’s Norman Lear Center is a nonpartisan research center dedicated to analyzing how entertainment affects social, economic, political and cultural conversations.