“Saturday Night Live” thinks it may have finally found a way to get men to go to the doctor: Make the appointment feel like a podcast.
It’s a funny take on a serious issue. Almost three-quarters of men would rather do household chores than get a medical checkup, a Cleveland Clinic survey found. A third of younger men seek medical advice on social media.
About a third say they don’t need annual visits, according to Orlando Health.
So in a viral sketch titled, “Medcast,” young male patients in a medical office are pleasantly surprised to walk into a room that looks like a podcast studio, complete with microphones, headphones and a “host” in a hoodie and white coat (the doctor).
The equally casual “guests” are the nurses who applaud and cheer, but also surreptitiously take vital signs and schedule tests.
“What up? What up?” the doctor begins. “Welcome to the studio, bro.”
It’s a real doctor’s appointment, but the “supportive, lighthearted” environment puts men at ease and allows them to be more honest than with a typical doctor, a spokeswoman for the fictional primary care practice reminds viewers.
Patients say they love that they can just “vibe.”
A conversation might go like this:
“So like how are your stools?” the doctor asks one patient.
“Stools is good,” the patient answers.
“Any blood in them things?”
“No blood.”
“Sick,” the doctor answers, taking careful notes.
He sneaks in questions about alcohol use and sexual health.
To help men relax, the doctor refers to a blood pressure cuff as a “bicep measuring machine.” He checks for testicular cancer while his patient is occupied by explaining a long-winded theory about apes, “shrooms” and human evolution.
Jokes aside, if it’s been a few years since you’ve seen a doctor, it’s a good reason to get checked out now, experts advise.
