Healthcare Workers’ Conceptions of Acute Coronary Syndrome-Related Chest Pain: A Cross-Sectional, Descriptive Study

Background: Rapid identification of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is critical to facilitate timely treatment. Chest pain is the most common ACS symptom; however, little research has focused on healthcare workers’ conceptions of this symptom. Objective: In this study, we aimed to describe how healthcare workers conceive of chest pain related to ACS, including symptom dimensions of timing, distress, intensity, and quality. Methods: We used a cross-sectional, descriptive-comparative design, leveraging an electronic survey that included the Chest Pain Conception Questionnaire. Data were collected in spring 2025 from a large, multifacility health system in the Midwest. Results: Of the N = 400 participants, 224 (56%) were nurses or providers. Participants commonly (>85%) selected locations on the left side of the body (ie, left chest, left shoulder, and left arm) as potential locations for ACS-related chest pain while less often selecting locations on the right side and in the upper belly (all < 50%). While terms such as pressure (90.5%), heaviness (89.0%), and tightness (87.5%) were commonly endorsed, indigestion (43.8%) and fullness (24.8%) were less commonly selected. Over 75% of participants reported believing ACS-related chest pain is “intense” or “very intense,” and more participants believed this symptom “often” or “always” happens with activity (61.8%), compared with rest (38.8%). Several differences were noted between participants who worked as a nurse or provider and those who did not. Conclusions: Misconceptions about ACS-related chest pain were identified in this sample of healthcare workers, and future work can focus on correcting misconceptions and ensuring accurate teaching and assessment.