Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Pitt season 1, episode 15.One of the best parts of Max's PittFest mass shooting to the moment where Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) was punched in the face, The Pitt had several dramatic but fictional curveballs. A shocking - and somewhat disheartening - number of The Pitt's medical storylines, however, were based on real-life controversial parts of healthcare.

The Pitt is as much a social commentary on the current state of the healthcare field as it is a medical procedural. One of the central objectives of the show was to highlight the trials and tribulations healthcare workers face on a day-to-day basis, after all. To show what emergency room workers are really up against, however, The Pitt had to broach some serious and important topics. Luckily, it handled them with immense grace, nuance, and rationality. These seven moments from The Pitt highlight just how smartly it can discuss controversial real-world topics.

7 Correct Treatment of Autistic Patients

Dr. King Showed How Neurotypical Doctors May Misunderstand An Autistic Patients' Needs

Dr. King (Taylor Dearden) has a sister who is on the autism spectrum, and she was able to use her experience to help an autistic patient in The Pitt episode 7. As Mel demonstrated, healthcare workers who don't have experience interacting with neurodivergent people don't necessarily know the best approach to treating patients with autism. Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) took his normal approach, and when that didn't work, Mel turned off the lights in the room, took an interest in her patient's ion for table tennis, and addressed the many questions he had for her.

Unfortunately, many autistic patients encounter problems when they're treated at the hospital. According to the National Library of Medicine, "[C]urrent literature suggests suboptimal care practices, lower satisfaction with services and providers, and poor health quality among autistic patients." If more doctors took the approach Mel had in The Pitt, patients with autism would likely have better experiences in hospitals.

6 Judgment Of Patients' Health Based On Weight

Dr. McKay Inadvertently Displayed Implicit Bias & Fatphobia In Medicine

Another misunderstanding of a patient came from Dr. McKay (Fiona Dourif). One of the patients she saw earlier in her shift returned after fainting behind the wheel, and Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) discovered that she had endometriosis after her pregnancy. Collins also informed McKay that she might not have given her patient a pelvic exam because she was overweight. Stigma surrounding weight is a very real issue in healthcare, and it can even result in overweight patients being misdiagnosed (via UIC), just as it happened in The Pitt.

5 Racial Bias Against Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

Dr. Mohan Was Familiar Enough With Sickle Cell To Realize Joyce Wasn't Addicted To Opioids

Early on in the shift, The Pitt took a look at sickle cell disease and the racial bias surrounding its treatment. Joyce, a Black woman, came in screaming in pain. Dr. Whitaker (Gerran Howell) assumed she was an addict looking for prescription painkillers, but Dr. Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) knew better. As Mohan explained, many people with sickle cell disease - which affects primarily Black people - aren't given proper treatment due to inherent racial bias (via National Library of Medicine). Many white doctors don't understand how painful sickle cell crisis is and incorrectly assume their Black patients are seeking opioids.

4 Meds Not Being Regularly istered To Unhoused People

Kiara Mentioned How PTMC Has A Street Team To Help Unhoused People Stay Medicated

The "Kraken" Dr. Abbot warned Dr. Robby about at the start of his shift turned out to be a good way for The Pitt to explore the issues unhoused people face, particularly those people with medical conditions. After istering his medicine, Dr. Whitaker learned that many unhoused people struggle with regularly taking their medication due to not having the money to pick up prescriptions. Interestingly, The Pitt also highlighted a program many hospitals have where they'll take medication to known encampments of unhoused people, which is a small but meaningful solution to the problem.

3 Spotting & Correctly Handling Abuse & Sex Trafficking

The Pitt Showed How Victims Of Sex Trafficking Can Slip Through The Cracks Even With Proper Procedure

Not all of The Pitt's real-world medical issues ended happily. Dr. McKay and Dana Evans (Katherine LaNasa) suspected that one of their patients was a victim of sexual trafficking after some suspicious behavior from her "boss." Through this situation, The Pitt got to showcase the resources hospitals have to identify and offer help to victims of sex trafficking. However, it also showed that these victims can often slip through the cracks of a limited system, and that doctors sometimes have to simply hope their patients will seek help.

2 The Importance Of Wearing Masks & Anti-Vaccination Misconceptions

The Pitt Debunked Anti-Maskers & Anti-Vaxxers

The Pitt did shine a light on many overlooked problems facing the healthcare industry, but two storylines also proved that it wasn't even a bit afraid of covering issues that have been heavily politicized. One patient who came into PTMC refused to wear a mask, so Dr. Langdon threatened to have the surgeons working on her forego masks. Towards the end of The Pitt season 1, Dr. King and Robby also dealt with a child was dying of measles and his anti-vax mother, an all-too-pressing concern today. Robby did get a bit mad, but they were able to convince the father to listen to their medical advice.

There is plenty of empirical evidence to suggest that masks do help control the spread of infectious disease (via CDC) and that vaccines are completely safe and help prevent deadly diseases like measles (via WHO). The Pitt, unsurprisingly, sided with the scientific consensus on both of these issues. What's more surprising is how The Pitt chose to go about the topics of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. The Pitt presented clear, reasonable evidence to masks and vaccines, and it treated those characters with a lot of empathy and respect, even though it showed they were wrong.

1 The Understaffing, Overworking, & Undertraining Of Hospital Employees

The National Nursing Shortage Could Be Felt Throughout The Pitt

Most of The Pitt's real-world issues were highlighted for an episode or two and then moved away from, but one of the earliest issues it shone light on stayed present throughout the first season. Right from the start, The Pitt highlighted the nursing shortage that has been affecting hospitals across America. Dr. Robby advocated on the nurses' behalf, but the fact that doctors are overworked and understaffed was a throughline in every episode of The Pitt. The effects of the nursing shortage could be seen in the stuffed waiting room, the overflowing ER, and even in some patients who died due to staffing problems.

The Pitt highlighted how overworked and underpaid nurses are, but it also took time to highlight how doctors, especially in the emergency room, are just as burnt out. Everyone from Dr. Collins to Robby himself had some moments of burnout, especially after the PittFest shooting extended their shifts. In fact, one of The Pitt's major themes is the idea that nurses and doctors need to take care of themselves just as much as they take care of patients. Otherwise, the heroics showcased in The Pitt wouldn't be possible.