Burnout is associated with poor recovery of physical performance and low quality of life in patients after their first episode of acute coronary syndrome: A hospital-based prospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
"Burnout" is an affective response that is different to depression or anxiety. Studies on the relationship between burnout and physical recovery after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the long-term are lacking, hence the rationale of this study.


METHODS
Participants were patients after their first onset of ACS divided into the high burnout group (HBG) and low burnout group (LBG) based on the upper quartile of their burnout score on the day before discharge. At three times (1month, 6months, and 1year) after ACS, participants were scheduled for assessment of physical function and quality of life (QoL). To determine the association between burnout and physical function at different times, as well as for burnout and the QoL scores, generalized estimating equations were conducted.


RESULTS
Of the 208 participants, 68 participants were assigned to HBG, and 140 were assigned to LBG. QoL scores in both groups at three times showed that HBG had lower scores than LBG (p<0.01). HBG had lower physical scores at three times (z=7.28, p<0.001). Even after adjustment for confounding factors (age, sex, marital status, socioeconomic status, cigarette/alcohol consumption, ACS type, Killip class upon hospital admission), the difference was significant (z=7.78, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with high burnout have poor physical recovery and low quality of life after ACS.
Cardiology Department, 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China. Electronic address: minniech2003@21cn.com.
Min
M
Zhang
Cardiology Department, 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China.
Yunke
Y
Shi
Cardiology Department, Kunming Children's Hospital, Kunming, Yunnan 650228, China.
Yanfei
Y
Yang
Cardiology Department, 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China.
Ling
L
Liu
Cardiology Department, 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China.
Jianming
J
Xiao
Cardiology Department, 1(st) Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China.
Tuo
T
Guo
Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Center for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany.
Jian
J
Li
D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D016019:Survival Analysis
Acute coronary syndrome; Burnout; Physical recovery; Quality of life