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The aim was to study the implementation of a new screening method for incipient exhaustion disorder (IED). Exhaustion due to job stress is a common clinical problem for the Occupational Health Services (OHS) in Sweden. This necessitates a sensitive screening tool. This study tested a new tool, the Lund University Checklist for Incipient Exhaustion (LUCIE), on patients with suspected IED in two companies with internally financed OHS’s: (1) Hälsan & Arbetslivet (H&A), which provides services to 50,000 employees within the public sector in Southwest Sweden, and (2) AB Tetra Pak OHS in Lund, Southern Sweden, responsible for 3700 employees within the private sector.
Methods
LUCIE was developed by the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, and is based on early signs and symptoms reported by a clinical sample of patients with verified exhaustion disorder. LUCIE was implemented in the two OHS’s alongside a validated screening tool for Exhaustion Disorder, S-UMS, developed by the Institute of Stress Medicine in Gothenburg.
Results
Among patients with clinical indications of IED (n=42), LUCIE tended to be more sensitive for subtle exhaustion, while more progressed stages of exhaustion were similarly well detected by LUCIE and S-UMS. The instruments were found to supplement each other in early diagnostics, and were easily implemented in both OHS’s.
Discussion
A successful implementation of new screening methods within OHS requires methods that are clinically relevant, highly sensitive, time-effective, easy to learn and use, and sufficiently documented/supported by the developers. This preliminary evaluation showed that LUCIE fulfilled all criteria and was successfully implemented in the OHS’s of a public as well as a private company. We conclude that LUCIE seems to be a convenient screening tool for IED and that the LUCIE results are easily communicated to the patient as a starting point for individualized rehabilitation.