Mood, energy, cognition, and physical complaints: a mind/body approach to symptom management during the climacteric.

Recent studies suggest that energy and cognitive and physical complaints such as fatigue, disrupted sleep, concentration problems, and pain are more problematic than clinical depression during the climacteric and may contribute to depressed mood. Central nervous system pathways that mediate mood, cognition, and energy are influenced by fluctuations of circulating estrogen during perimenopause. Symptoms are also influenced by other factors, including psychosocial and environmental stresses and supports.

Federal CAT policy: politics and practice.

The critical care nurse encounters a patient in a setting that is charged with overt physiologic needs that are addressed by an array of healthcare providers in a setting dominated by covert political dynamics. Understanding these dynamics can empower critical care nurses to create a voice of agency to advocate disciplinary nursing concerns. Policy skills enable nurses to participate in meaningful ways in the policy process.