Patient Activation Measure
PAM-13A 13-item measure of patient knowledge, skill, and confidence for self-management of chronic conditions and general health. Items vary in difficulty and are scored using a Rasch-calibrated algorithm that converts raw responses to a 0–100 activation score, classified into four activation levels.
Ready-to-cite methods sentence
Citing this in a methods section? This scale spans more than one discipline, so the style depends on where you publish — see the APA 7 or Vancouver guides, or compare all six citation styles.
Reliability & validation
Known limitations
LICENSED — obtain research licence from Phreesia before administration. Do NOT publish a raw-sum score as a "PAM score" — the 0–100 metric requires the proprietary conversion table. Item wording here is from published academic reproductions; the licensed scoring kit is authoritative and may differ in minor wording. The PAM is unidimensional by design; subscales are not interpretable.
Original citation
Hibbard, J. H., Mahoney, E. R., Stockard, J., Tusler, M. (2005). Development and testing of a short form of the patient activation measure. Health Services Research, 40(6 Pt 1), 1918-1930.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00438.xThis instrument is licensed. Folio does not distribute its item wording — obtain permission from the copyright holder before using it in your study.
Questions researchers ask
What does the PAM-13 measure?
A 13-item measure of patient knowledge, skill, and confidence for self-management of chronic conditions and general health. Items vary in difficulty and are scored using a Rasch-calibrated algorithm that converts raw responses to a 0–100 activation score, classified into four activation levels.
How many items does the PAM-13 have?
The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) has 13 items.
Is the PAM-13 free to use?
The PAM-13 is licensed. You must obtain permission from the copyright holder before using it in a study — Folio does not distribute its item wording without that permission.
Is the PAM-13 reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.87. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the PAM-13, and how do I cite it?
Hibbard, J. H., Mahoney, E. R., Stockard, J., Tusler, M. (2005). Development and testing of a short form of the patient activation measure. Health Services Research, 40(6 Pt 1), 1918-1930. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00438.x
Permission required
Importing PAM-13into a Surveyor study is disabled: Folio holds the instrument’s metadata, not a license to pass on its wording. The citation, scoring and reliability details on this page are free to use and cite.
Related scales
Library entry verified January 2024. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.