Doctor turns to singing and social media to change medical practice

A doctor from the UK has shown how an innovative music video can help increase awareness of how to treat asthma.

Dr Tapas Mukherjee, from Glenfield Hospital in the UK, produced and starred in a music video to draw attention to new guidelines showing a better way of managing asthma.

A study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress in Barcelona today (10 September 2013), has demonstrated the success of this video and suggests that social media can be used to successfully improve .

In April 2012, an audit at Dr Mukherjee's hospital highlighted a lack of knowledge in acute severe asthma management. Only 45% of had used hospital guidelines on the management of asthma and only 62% were aware of them.

The guidelines were translated into memorable lyrics, with Dr Mukherjee singing the advice on how to treat . The video was posted on the social media sites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

A repeat audit was carried out in June 2012. When comparing the results to the previous audit in April, the study found that 100% of healthcare professionals were aware of the guidelines. All aspects of and knowledge had improved, with the most significant improvements seen for chest radiograph indication and target .

Watch the Breakfast at Glenfield Music Video

Dr Mukherjee said: "Our study has shown that social media can help to change clinical practice, with 100% awareness of the new guidelines in the post-analysis. As doctors are often working in busy environments, we have to think of creative ways of reaching them with important clinical information. Our study has shown that social media is a free and effective way of doing this. The method could be adapted to different scenarios and the possibilities are not limited by resources of money, but only by imagination."

More information: Abstract: "Using social media to change medical practice – The Breakfast at Glenfield Music Video"

Citation: Doctor turns to singing and social media to change medical practice (2013, September 10) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-09-doctor-social-media-medical.html
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