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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 segments consumers into one of four progressively higher activation levels. Each level is associated with distinct preventive, consumeristic and self-care behaviors. Insignia Health maintains the exclusive rights from the University of Oregon to license the PAM™ and develop products based upon the Patient Activation Measure™.
About Insignia Health
Insigna Health is committed to helping consumers develop the behaviors that are crucial to becoming more active and more effective members of their own healthcare team. Insignia’s online PAM™ suite offers health organizations an important means through which a more thorough understanding of an individual’s self-management competency can be realized. With this knowledge, Insignia’s tailored coaching resources and self-care products can be leveraged to help patients begin to master new positive behaviors that are realistic given their current level of activation. With increased activation comes better health and the more effective and efficient use of healthcare resources.
Development of the PAM™
Development of the PAM™ began in 2001 through the work of Dr. Judy Hibbard and colleagues at the University of Oregon. Key development milestones are show below.
Measurement Properties
The PAM™ was developed using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, Rasch analysis, and classical test theory psychometric methods. The resulting metric is a unidimensional, interval level, Guttman-style scale. Extensive research in many diverse populations confirms the PAM™'s strong measurement properties, including reliability and content, construct, and criterion validity.
Application of the PAM™
The PAM™ 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™ 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™ can be used for predictive modeling, population segmentation, and the tailoring of care support at the individual level.
Organizations using the PAM™ 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 50 studies worldwide over the last five years have documented the PAM™'s ability to effectively measure patient activation and to predict a range of behaviors, including preventive behaviors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking cessation); disease-specific self-management behaviors (e.g. medication compliance, health monitoring); and consumeristic-type behaviors (e.g. successful interaction with a healthcare provider).
Adoption of the PAM™
The PAM™ has had
widespread research adoption with more than 50
studies either completed or under-way worldwide since
2003. Organziations in the pharmaceutical, benefits consulting, disease management, care delivery, and health plan sectors have begun adopting the PAM™ for commercial use. Early clients of PAM™ are AstraZeneca, Johns Hopkins Healthcare, RedBrick Health, Providence Medical System, Oregon Health Sciences University Health Management Services, and Mercer HR Consulting.
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