Key Facts

The Patient Activation Measure™ (PAM™) Tool

The Patient Activation Measure™ (PAM™) self-assessment tool assesses the knowledge, skills and confidence for managing one’s own health and healthcare. The PAM tool segments consumers into one of four progressively higher activation levels. Each level is associated with distinct self-care behaviors, as well as a wealth of insight into the attitudes, values, motivations and emotional disposition driving these behaviors. Insignia Health maintains the exclusive rights from the University of Oregon to license the PAM survey and develop products based upon it.

About Insignia Health

Insignia Health was formed in 2006 to help consumers develop the behaviors that are crucial to becoming more active and effective members of their own healthcare team. The company’s efforts are anchored by the Patient Activation Measure self-assessment tool. With behavioral insights garnered from the PAM, healthcare organizations can better understand their members and tailor care accordingly in an effort to increase patient activation. Additional tailored coaching and self-care resources are available from Insignia to help in this endeavor.

Development of the PAM Survey

Development of the PAM assessment tool began in 2001 through the work of Dr. Judy Hibbard and colleagues at the University of Oregon. More than 80 studies world-wide have documented the ability of the PAM survey to measure activation.

Measurement Properties

The PAM survey is a unidimensional, interval level, Guttman-style survey developed through Rasch analysis and classical test theory psychometric methods. It measures an overarching construct - being in charge of one's own health. The PAM survey is not designed to assess behaviors in isolation, but instead recognizes that people who feel 'in charge' of their health engage in a whole constellation of behaviors. Extensive research in many diverse populations confirms the PAM tool's strong measurement properties.

Application of the PAM

The PAM assessment tool has proven reliable and valid for use with both patients managing a wide range of chronic illnesses and for those with no chronic illness. The PAM survey has been found to be useful wherever the patient has a significant role to play in managing his or her health. The insights gained through with the PAM tool can be used for predictive modeling, population segmentation, and the tailoring of care support at the individual level.

Organizations using the PAM tool today span the health sector and include leading research organizations, pharmaceutical firms, health plans, disease management and wellness firms, government agencies, and hospital and clinic systems.

Empirical Validation

More than 80 studies worldwide have documented the ability of the PAM survey to effectively measure activation and to predict a range of behaviors, including preventive behaviors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking cessation); condition-specific self-management behaviors (e.g. medication compliance, health monitoring); and information-seeking behaviors (e.g. successful interaction with a healthcare provider).

Outline of Research Projects Incorporating the PAM survey>

Adoption of the PAM Tool

The PAM self-assessment tool has had widespread research adoption with more than 80 studies either completed or under-way worldwide since 2003. Organizations in the pharmaceutical, benefits consulting, disease management, care delivery, and health plan sectors have begun adopting the PAM tool for commercial use. Organizations using the PAM survey include AstraZeneca, Johns Hopkins Healthcare, LifeMasters, RedBrick Health, Providence Medical System, Health Future, State of Washington, and Mercer HR Consulting.