Art Of Bedside Care--Abc's Of Nursing Procedure: Mobility--Moving Out Of Bed

Although the trade-specific nature of this series initially made us pass on reviewing, the public relations department at Miami-Dade Community College assured us that video librarians had expressed interest in the 21-tape series, and indeed the promotional materials included with the review tape does cite public libraries as one of the intended markets. So we watched Moving Out of Bed, one of the titles in the "Mobility" module. There are several reasons (AIDS, the rising costs of health care, etc.) why people may find themselves taking on the unfamiliar role of primary caregiver; therefore, a good video series which addressed applicable topics would be a welcome addition to the library shelves. The Art of Bedside Care isn't it. In the episode we watched, hostess Wendy Michaels at all times addressed the audience as "nurses" and the patients as "clients," and technical jargon was used throughout unsparingly. Divided into two parts ("Assisting Post-Operative Client to Dangle and Transfer," and "Assisting Post-Operative Client to Ambulate"), the program--irregardless of the information--does not use the video medium particularly well. "Moving" instructions are shown in print on the screen while being read on voice-over narration. This is followed by an overextended and slightly mawkish skit in which a nurse moves a patient into a sitting position (when two nurses transfer the patient to a wheelchair, a bad camera angle is used: we see the backs of the nurses and very little of what they're doing with the patient). Another skit is used for "ambulation." With phrases like "in case of unilateral weakness" and "holding him under his axilla" sprinkled throughout the program, this very technical, very trade-specific program would be frustrating to the home caregiver--for whom it is not intended. The 21-tape series is a robust $1,995 (supplemental print materials included), and belongs in a hospital library not a public library. Other titles in the series include: Asepsis/Protection: Washing Hands, Patient Comfort: Using Special Measures and Devices for Comfort, Drainage: Providing for Elimination, and Personal Hygiene: Giving a Complete Bath in Bed. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Product Development and Distribution, Miami-Dade Community College, 11011 S.W. 104th St., Miami, FL 33176-3393; (305) 237-2158.)