Burnout symptoms among Icelandic patients administered to the Cardiac emergency department with chest pain discomfort : association with mental health and demographics

Abstract

In the past decades, there has been an increased stress in modern societies, with burnout prevalence of 4-13% in Western Europe. Burnout can cause hospital admissions due to physical and mental symptoms, and it has been hypothesized that burnout might increase the risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD). Furthermore, significant burden and distress are also thought to impact chest pain presentations, indicative of CAD, but where no cardiac cause is found resulting in a diagnosis of non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). Both NCCP and CAD patients show greater symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to the general population. The aim of this research was to examine the prevalence of burnout among Icelandic patients with chest pain, explore its relation to demographic variables and assess its association with depression and anxiety. The study included 502 patients administered to the cardiac emergency department due to chest pain discomfort, 42.8% were female and 57.2% male. Participants answered study questionnaires with burnout being measured by the s-ED scale. The results revealed that around 60% of CAD and NCCP patients reported disturbing symptoms of burnout. Burnout was closely related to depression among CAD patients, but anxiety and depression among NCCP patients. Patients with burnout experienced higher levels of perceived stress and somatic symptoms compared to those with no burnout in both groups. Our findings showed a significant exhaustion burden among these patient groups, highlighting the importance of implementing relevant support and education about chest pain discomfort and the role of stress.Keywords: burnout, exhaustion disorder, chest pain, NCCP, CAD, demographics, mental health