Nursing

A patient’s ability to manage and mitigate pain is one of the most important indicators of his or her quality of life. Adopting the American Pain Society’s view that pain is a vital sign much like pulse or blood pressure, this program provides nurses and health care assistants with an overview of recent developments in the field of pain management and an improved understanding of the anatomy and physiology of pain.

This program looks at the human body in motion, studying the interaction of the skeleton and muscles and the ways in which engineers and designers imitate these systems. Demonstrating how bones allow mobility while also providing protection, the program examines skeletal strength, calcium’s importance, the internal structure of bones, and their dependence on muscles for cohesion and power. Linking architecture, machine design, computer science, and other disciplines, this Science Screen Report offers a fresh way of understanding human anatomy. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. Produced in association with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and the Junior Engineering Technical Society. (14 minutes)

Studies remarkable advances being made to repair and replace damaged human body parts. In 2001, the first self-contained artificial heart, Abiocor, was implanted into human patients.

Most animals, including humans, are essentially food-processing tubes. In this program, anatomy guru Gunther von Hagens lays out the human body’s seven-meter digestive tract end-to-end, showing viewers each stop on the gastrointestinal highway. Beginning with the tongue, salivary glands, pharynx, and epiglottis, von Hagens uncovers and removes the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small and large intestines, and anus, as well as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. He also explores the bile ducts of the liver, illustrates the ways that urine and feces are stored and released, and—in an anatomical context—explains burps, heartburn, nausea, ulcers, and other rarely discussed facts of life. (50 minutes)
***Viewer discretion is advised. Contains clinically explicit language and demonstrations.