Grey's Anatomy writers interviewed real doctors in preparation for Season 17's coronavirus pandemic storylines

TVLine

"The doctors come in, and we’re the first people they’re talking to about these types of experiences they’re having,” says showrunner Krista Vernoff. “They are literally shaking and trying not to cry, they’re pale and they’re talking about it as war — a war that they were not trained for. And that’s been one of our big conversations about (Kevin McKidd’s) Owen (who served in the Army), that he’s actually trained for this in a way that most of the other doctors aren’t.