Do you have problems with attention and concentration?

Therapists are seeing an increase in the number of people experiencing memory and concentration difficulties. Some of these people seek help from their GP, some from specialist health services, while many do not seek help for such difficulties.

– In social media, we can all find more or less knowledge-based information about this type of difficulty. We want Attentiv to be a counterbalance to this, where people can learn about concentration and memory difficulties and how they can deal with this in their everyday lives,” says Tine Nordgreen, who heads the Center for Research-Driven Innovation, Forhelse SFI, at Helse Bergen.

 

Attentiv has been developed as a low-threshold offering to make the knowledge of the healthcare system easily accessible. The aim is to help people who experience concentration and memory problems to manage their daily lives better. This can be done on their own or in collaboration with healthcare professionals, such as their GP.

– It is not a substitute for examination and treatment in specialist healthcare, but a tool for people who struggle with concentration and attention, so that they can get better.

Attentive is suitable for those who

• find it difficult to focus on a task for a long period of time
• are easily distracted by their surroundings
• have difficulties with multitasking
• have trouble keeping the thread in conversations
• get tired quickly after tasks that require increased concentration

Nordgreen says that GPs have been asking for such a tool for a long time, so that they and their patients can have a knowledge-based offering.

– “We need more knowledge and more tools for cognitive health. With the “Attentive” program, we are trying to meet part of this need,” she says.

Pure self-help program

The Attentiv self-help program is structured around several themes that deal with different aspects of attention and concentration. Sunniva Brurok Myklebost is a researcher and psychologist at Forhelse in Helse Bergen, and has been involved in developing the treatment program.

– “Attentiv gives users insight into how different aspects of attention work and helps them become aware of their own challenges. In addition, users are given the opportunity to learn strategies that are useful for staying focused on tasks and organization in everyday life,” says Myklebost.

 

Myklebost emphasizes that there is no therapeutic support in the program. Attentiv provides pure information content and is intended to support the user through modules in various stages. At the same time, the program has been developed based on methods from other programs that have shown positive effects on attention.

Attentiv was developed by the Research Center for Digital Health Services in collaboration between the Section for eTreatment and the Section for eHealth. User participation has been central to the entire development process.

You can find more information about the program and how to use it on this website:Attentive