How accurate is "The Pitt"? A UPMC doctor weighs in.
Set in a Pittsburgh emergency room, the HBO Max series "The Pitt" just won the prestigious Gotham TV Award for Breakthrough Drama Series.
The show is not your average medical drama. Its creators, stars and producers are dedicated to real-world accuracy.
From the first frame of the video, there is no doubt where you are, as viewers see an Allegheny Health Network helicopter landing at Allegheny General on Pittsburgh's North Side, with star Noah Wylie as Dr. Robbie, waiting for a patient.
"They have done an extraordinary job; they have emergency medicine physicians on set at all times," said Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah with UPMC Children's pediatric emergency medicine.
"The Pitt" has earned critical acclaim from medical professionals, and not just for the accuracy in how they handle complex medical language and procedures, but also for the topics they tackle, in part because they went to doctors like Owusu-Ansah, starting with a question: What storylines have not been told that need to be when it comes to medical dramas?
"My particular story was a teenager who was in sickle cell crisis, but was thought to be "aggressive and agitated."
Dr. Sylvia described the scene as "spot on," and showrunners brought her to Hollywood for a sit-down to pick her brain.
"I turned the corner, and Noah Wylie was there, and I almost passed out. I was not expecting him to be there," Dr. Owusu-Ansah said.
But the meeting ended up spawning varying diagnostic scenes.
"Marijuana or marijuana edibles are very accessible nowadays. We're also seeing that intoxication in children," she said.
Dr. Owusu-Ansah is also why the Hill District's Freedom House Ambulance Service, the beginning of emergency medicine, was featured in episode eight.
"I told them that this story needs to be told, and sure enough, they told it," she added.
She says that the show's success is grounded in listening.
"It's just incredible how accurate they are, how intentional they are, and how they really acknowledge our medical expertise and take that, and that's what's made the show what it is today."
Dr. Owusu-Ansah doesn't know what other experiences of hers will make their way into the show, but there are others that the producers and writers were very interested in.
The show's second season just started filming, and they are coming back for more filming in Pittsburgh, possibly in September.
