Doctor aims to help Asthma patients through his singing
A doctor aims to tackle the number of Asthma patients needing hospital admittance through his singing.
Dr Tapas Mukherjee, from Leicester’s hospitals, first tasted internet fame after his cover of Breakfast at Tiffany’s two years ago. NHS bosses have now funded him £8,000 create a music video that outlines how to use your inhaler properly.
Doctor Mukherjee has kept his plans for the video under wraps until its launch next year, he said, “The aim will be to help educate people about when and how to use inhalers.
“If it helps to change people’s behaviour it could lead to fewer hospital admissions and the cost of the project could easily be recovered.
“Research shows that there is a lack of awareness among people as to when and how to use their inhaler.”
Dr Mukherjee added, “The next logical step, having made a video aimed at staff was to create a video to show patients how to manage their condition.”
He filmed his first Youtube hit with the help of his mobile phone, home computer and close friends.
He took the lyrics from Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Deep Blue Something and changed it to ‘Breakfast at Glenfield’. Altering the lyrics he instead sang about the guidelines medics at Leicester’s hospitals should follow when treating asthma patients.
The video won the British Thoracic Society Innovation in Education Award 2012 and the NHS Expo/Network Casebook II Innovation Award 2013. It was also nominated for an award from the European Lung Foundation.
Dr Mukherjee said, “It generated a lot of interest not only among doctors but patients and the general public.
“The story was covered by NBC in Chicago, Time magazine and even the Times of North Korea.
“This showed me there was an appetite for this sort of video.”
His new video however will feature a professional film crew and aim to highlight the importance of the song’s message.
Dr Mukherjee said, “This video is a little more serious and while I want it to include humour I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t want the video to be patronising.
“We are aiming for hundreds of thousands of views.”
The project was one of 46 NHS organisations out of a total of 600 applications which received a share of a £2.5 million NHS England funding to help change patients’ lives and improve care.
Chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens said, “Once again frontline clinicians and NHS managers are proving that, given the chance, the NHS can be one of the most innovative health services in the world.”
To view Dr Mukherjee’s ‘Breakfast at Glenfield’ go to
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj0PEn79Cuw
