Healthcare consumption among patients with stress-related exhaustion: a register-based study in Swedish primary care

There is limited understanding of healthcare consumption among patients seeking care for stress-related exhaustion. This study examines the number of care contacts and treatments received by patients diagnosed with Exhaustion Disorder (ED) in primary care, as well as its association with psychiatric comorbidity, sex, age, location, and the governance of primary care centers (PCCs).

Data from the Region Västra Götaland healthcare database Vega was analysed including patients diagnosed with ED for the first time during 2018 and 2019, in total of 11,058 patients. Number of care contacts and treatments registered the 12 months before and after the individual date of first time ED diagnosis were compared.

Number of care contacts and treatments and proportion of patients receiving care increased post-ED diagnosis. The variation is large, and patients diagnosed with another psychiatric condition, most often depression or anxiety, in addition to ED received more care. Female patients tended to receive more care. Minor variations were observed with respect to age and PCC population size, while larger differences were identified between municipalities. Public and private PCCs showed a similar pattern for both care contacts and treatments.

Healthcare consumption varies greatly among ED patients seeking primary care. This variation is mostly related to the burden of psychiatric comorbidity and, to a lesser extent, to gender and age. The wide variety of treatments used, along with the gender and age differences observed, warrant further analysis, as these patterns may not align with current evidence for treating patients with ED.