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. As conventional and complementary practitioners interact, critical care nurses are likely to confront difficult issues. Insight into the processes that shape the federal CAT agenda allows nurse educators, researchers, and clinicians to anticipate likely effects on their own domains of practice. The ability of nursing as a professional discipline to engage in appropriate political and policy activity concerning CAT policy is enhanced by understanding the complex nature of that discourse.