Fatigue is a subjective, unpleasant, potentially disabling symptom rooted
in physiological, psychological, and behavioral causes. People living with HIV
are a population highly affected by fatigue due to risk factors associated with
HIV-infection, treatment, and psychosocial disease burden. People with HIV are
living longer, and are facing the challenge of a longer disease trajectory.
Palliative nurses with expertise in symptom management can play a crucial role
in helping people with HIV to engage in health behaviors that prevent or
mitigate fatigue. In this paper we present a definition and overview of fatigue,
describe the problem of fatigue in people living with HIV, and present a case
study that illustrates the role of the palliative nurse in helping a person with
HIV to cope with fatigue.