Improving Clinical Patient Activation and Strengthening Health Outcomes: Findings from a Quasi-Experimental Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Engagement
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Healthcare system complexity poses challenges to quality improvement.
• The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) assesses patient interaction with healthcare.
• Limited evaluation of PAM-13 in Saudi Arabian tertiary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess PAM-13 feasibility and acceptability in a Saudi university Family Medicine Center.
• Evaluate the impact of PAM-13-based interventions on patient engagement, activation, self-management, and participation.
• Examine patient activation in routine care within a tertiary healthcare context.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental study (November 2024-June 2025).
• Stratified cluster sampling across diabetes, geriatrics, and general family medicine units.
• Intervention group received tailored support based on PAM-13 scores; control group did not.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in patient activation scores in the intervention group (p=0.004).
• Greatest activation gains observed in patients with initially lower PAM-13 scores (levels 1 and 2).
• No significant short-term changes in clinical outcomes (blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol).

Conclusions:

• PAM-13-guided interventions effectively enhance patient activation in tertiary care.
• Improvements in engagement and self-management were evident, especially for less activated patients.
• Further research needed on long-term sustainability and clinical impact across multiple centers.