P008: Exploring Attention-Restorative Theory and Its Use in Fatigue Management

Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom of long-term illness, palliative care conditions, and cancer, and a concern for families, carers, and health care practitioners. Attention Restorative Theory (art) was developed by Kaplan (1995) following his interest in restoring mental attention within the “person–environment interaction.” Within this framework, restorative events have 4 core components: “being away” (that is, distinct from routine), “fascination,” “extent” (that is, scope), and “compatibility.” Objectives: To explore enjoyable routines and activities of people experiencing fatigue related to long-term illnesses. To analyze identified activities within an art framework by mapping emergent themes with the core components of mental restoration. To determine if a novel intervention based on restoring mental attention should be considered for people with long-term illnesses. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to obtain knowledge about a discrete population of people who experience fatigue as a result of a long-term illness or palliative care condition. Participants (n = 25) were approached to participate from a local hospice, a podiatry clinic, and service user representative groups. Semi-structured interviews lasting no more than 45 minutes were conducted using an interview guide in which the emphasis was on describing activities that were enjoyed, rather than dwelling on the limitations of fatigue. Results: Participants reported enjoying creative arts, baking, reading (all types), watching motor bike racing, singing, word games, or having a facial, as would be expected based on individual personalities and characteristics. Emergent themes were social coherence, nurturing, purposeful, fascinating, and expansive. Safety and contributing to the community were noteworthy attributes that did not easily integrate into the art framework. Conclusions: The art approach has interesting prospects and scope within fatigue management. Further research is required to explore potential interventions that in time may prove to be beneficial in addressing the mental and possibly emotional dimensions of fatigue.