Reliability and validity of the patient activation measure in hospitalized patients

The purposes of this paper are to describe the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the PAM-13 for hospitalized cardiology and oncology patients and to examine the predictors of low patient activation in the same population.

We evaluated the internal consistency reliability of the PAM-13 in the inpatient setting. Construct validity of the PAM-13 was then assessed using two approaches: expected known-groups differences between patients with planned and unplanned admissions PAM-13 levels and convergence of PAM-13 levels with other measures.

The PAM demonstrated adequate internal consistency overall (Cronbach α=0.81). Patients with unplanned admissions were more likely to have low activation than patients with planned admissions (adjusted OR=5.7, p=0.008). The PAM-13 was modestly correlated (p<0.001) with each of the PROMIS Global Health components used in this study (global, physical and mental health).

This study demonstrates the PAM-13 is a reliable and valid measure for use in the inpatient hospital setting and that type of admission (planned versus unplanned) is an important predictor of patient activation.

By measuring patient activation with the PAM-13, clinicians and researchers can provide tailored communication and care strategies to meet patient's needs.