Results: "I'm Not A Doctor, But I Play One On Television"

An Ontario hospital patient is suing two "Saving Hope" actors and a researcher for allegedly misrepresenting themselves as medical students and participating in his rectal examination. William Fisher alleges that Benjamin Ayres, who plays Dr. Zachary Miller on the popular CTV hospital drama, as well as a woman linked to the show "intentionally and/or negligently" misrepresented their true identities while he was a patient at Brampton Civic Hospital in 2012. Both Erica Durance, the star of "Saving Hope," and Maggie Gilmour, described as a "medical researcher" for the show, are named in the suit as lawyer Douglas Elliott says "it's not clear to us" which was the woman allegedly in the room. Fisher consented to them being there but believed they were medical students since the doctor was explaining everything to them. At no point was he told they were doing background research for "Saving Hope," he said. Do you think it is right to let actors or writers observe medical procedures or examinations without the patient's knowledge and/or consent?

Elliott said that Fisher learned several months later from another person at the hospital that people linked to "Saving Hope" had conducted research there. It raised suspicions as to the identities of the two people he had met, he said. "He did not consent to be touched by an actor and he didn't consent to be examined by an actor or a producer. He was talking about his medical situation," said Elliott. Do you think the patient only came forward after he found out about the TV show doing research there?

Have you ever been asked by a doctor or at a hospital to allow students or interns to observe a medical examination or procedure, and did you feel comfortable with it?