Improving doctor-patient relationship : the audience engagement in “The Life Matters”
(2022) MKVM13 20221Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- Since 2014, a large number of medical documentaries have appeared in China. These documentaries have been well received and recognised by Chinese audiences. This also proves that new forms of narrative medical practice, represented by documentaries, play an essential role in health communication. Among the many medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters was chosen as a case study for this research. Compared to other medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters covers a broader range of content and has a more robust social response. The second season of the Life Matters has effectively spread health knowledge and improved the relationship between doctors and patients.
The aim of this study is to... (More) - Since 2014, a large number of medical documentaries have appeared in China. These documentaries have been well received and recognised by Chinese audiences. This also proves that new forms of narrative medical practice, represented by documentaries, play an essential role in health communication. Among the many medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters was chosen as a case study for this research. Compared to other medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters covers a broader range of content and has a more robust social response. The second season of the Life Matters has effectively spread health knowledge and improved the relationship between doctors and patients.
The aim of this study is to understand the role of a medical documentary in promoting medical knowledge and social progress and the reasons for its popularity with audiences. With this aim in mind, the present study was structured around three research questions to be answered.
1. How can we understand the audience engagement with the Life Matters?
2. How is the Life Matters health communication perceived by the audience?
3. What kind of doctor-patient relationship does the Life Matters represent, and how does it affect the audience’s ideas of the doctor-patient relationship?
This study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and qualitative text analysis. By talking to 15 interviewees, this study yielded a large and rich body of textual material. These materials cover a wide range of aspects of audience engagement, health communication and the doctor-patient relationship.
Based on the study's findings, this thesis found that viewers were mainly optimistic about the second season of the Life Matters. By watching the second season, most viewers have developed a practical awareness of health, and they surveille themselves and others for unhealthy behaviours. The audience was also impressed by a large number of specific medical scenes. The audience also tends to identify with the harmonious state of the doctor-patient relationship shown in the documentary. The Life Matters shows the audience the helplessness and sadness of doctors in the face of illness and death. The transformation of the doctor's image from that of an angel in white to that of an ordinary person. Finally, this study highlights the different attributes of health communication and how the audience engages with the series. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9079395
- author
- Cheng, Haolong LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Keywords: Narrative medicine, Medical documentary, Medical imagination, Health communication, The doctor-patient relationship, Audience, Audience engagement, The Life Matters
- language
- English
- id
- 9079395
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-07 15:27:12
- date last changed
- 2022-06-07 15:27:12
@misc{9079395,
abstract = {{Since 2014, a large number of medical documentaries have appeared in China. These documentaries have been well received and recognised by Chinese audiences. This also proves that new forms of narrative medical practice, represented by documentaries, play an essential role in health communication. Among the many medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters was chosen as a case study for this research. Compared to other medical documentaries, the second season of the Life Matters covers a broader range of content and has a more robust social response. The second season of the Life Matters has effectively spread health knowledge and improved the relationship between doctors and patients.
The aim of this study is to understand the role of a medical documentary in promoting medical knowledge and social progress and the reasons for its popularity with audiences. With this aim in mind, the present study was structured around three research questions to be answered.
1. How can we understand the audience engagement with the Life Matters?
2. How is the Life Matters health communication perceived by the audience?
3. What kind of doctor-patient relationship does the Life Matters represent, and how does it affect the audience’s ideas of the doctor-patient relationship?
This study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and qualitative text analysis. By talking to 15 interviewees, this study yielded a large and rich body of textual material. These materials cover a wide range of aspects of audience engagement, health communication and the doctor-patient relationship.
Based on the study's findings, this thesis found that viewers were mainly optimistic about the second season of the Life Matters. By watching the second season, most viewers have developed a practical awareness of health, and they surveille themselves and others for unhealthy behaviours. The audience was also impressed by a large number of specific medical scenes. The audience also tends to identify with the harmonious state of the doctor-patient relationship shown in the documentary. The Life Matters shows the audience the helplessness and sadness of doctors in the face of illness and death. The transformation of the doctor's image from that of an angel in white to that of an ordinary person. Finally, this study highlights the different attributes of health communication and how the audience engages with the series.}},
author = {{Cheng, Haolong}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Improving doctor-patient relationship : the audience engagement in “The Life Matters”}},
year = {{2022}},
}