Recommended HealthMeasures

Selecting a measure involves many considerations. If you are uncertain about which measure to choose, consider these recommended measures available through Search & View Measures:

• PROMIS^®-29 Profile or Computer Adaptive Tests (CATs) for adults (short form measures for Physical Function, Fatigue, Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, Sleep Disturbance, Depression, Anxiety, and Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities) and PROMIS-25 Profile or Computer Adaptive Tests (CATs) for pediatrics (short form measures for Physical Function-Mobility, Fatigue, Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, Depressive Symptoms, Anxiety, and Peer Relationships) PROMIS^® Global (10 items measuring physical health and mental health)
  
  • TIP: Select any subset of short forms if you need a shorter assessment
• PROMIS Global for comparing large groups (generates a physical health and a mental health score for adults or single global health score for pediatrics)
• Neuro-QoL™ short forms for people with neurological conditions
• ASCQ-Me^® short forms for adults with sickle cell disease
• NIH Toolbox^® batteries for Cognition, Motor, and Sensation (Learn more at NIHToolbox.org)

Consider exploring our recommendations for domains and measures for these specific patient populations:

Adult Populations

• Anemia
• Anxiety
• Cancer
• Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Heart Failure
• Hepatitis C Virus
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Orthopaedic Surgery Patients
• Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Plexiform Neurofibromas (pNF)
• Post-Acute Care
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Stroke Patients

Pediatric Populations

• Asthma
• Cancer
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
• Plexiform Neurofibromas (pNF)

 Recommended Physical Function Measures

PROMIS, Neuro-QoL, ASCQ-Me, and NIH Toolbox all include measures of physical function. Use the Decision Tree for Selecting a Patient-Reported Physical Function HealthMeasure to find the best measure for your purpose. Learn more >>

• Neuro-QoL Mobility and Upper Extremity measures are the best options for adults with neurologic conditions.
• PROMIS Physical Function measures are the best options for all other adults. The specific measure (CAT, 4- 6-, 8-, 10-item short form) should match the aim of assessment (e.g., screening, comparing large groups, comparing small groups or individual evaluation).
• PROMIS Upper Extremity measures are the best option for adults when there is a known or suspected upper extremity limitation and can complement a PROMIS Physical Function measure.
• PROMIS pediatric and parent-proxy mobility and upper extremity measures are the best options for children ages 5-17.
• NIH Toolbox Motor measures are the best option for children ages 3-5.

PROMIS Physical Function versus Mobility versus Upper Extremity

Within PROMIS there are adult self-report measures of Physical Function, Mobility, and Upper Extremity function. 

• For most patient populations including those with lower extremity concerns, we recommend PROMIS Physical Function measures. PROMIS Physical Function is a core measure used extensively in a variety of clinical settings, thus facilitating benchmarking and score interpretation given the large amount of data and publications. As compared to PROMIS Mobility, PROMIS Physical Function has a greater range of measurement from very poor function to exceptional function.
• PROMIS Upper Extremity measures are a useful addition to Physical Function for patients who have concerns specific to the upper body (e.g., hand, wrist, shoulder, elbow). PROMIS Upper Extremity and Physical Function measures are scored on different metrics and cannot be compared.

When to Use PROMIS Standard, Recommended, and Screen-to-CAT Stopping Rules

Standard CAT stopping rules prioritize measurement precision. This is beneficial when CATs are used in clinical research. This is a good option when the accuracy of the score is important and providing extra items is not an overriding concern.

Recommended CATs prioritize minimizing the burden on patients to answer items. They prioritize brevity balanced with measurement precision. They are a good fit when there is limited assessment time and when at least some respondents are expected to be relatively healthy. For example, recommended CATs are a good fit for a clinic assessing patients as part of routine care and capturing the amount of improvement over time is important. Recommended CATs have the suffix “(recommended)” in the measure name.

Screen-to-CAT measures also prioritize minimizing the burden on patients to answer items. They are a good fit when accurate assessment of healthy respondents is not important. These CATs will be very short (1 or 2 items per bank) for healthy respondents and will not produce very precise scores for them. This is helpful when the reason a CAT is administered is to a) identify if a patient is experiencing symptoms or impairment and b) to quantify the level of severity for those symptomatic patients. Screen-to-CAT measures have the suffix “(screen-to-CAT)” in the measure name.

Recommended PROMIS Short Forms 

PROMIS includes multiple short forms in a given domain. Here are recommendations for which short form to use. 

Recommendations for Comparing Large Groups: appropriate short form for large scale data collection and comparison of groups (subgroups larger than 50-75 people)

Recommendations for Individual Evaluations and Comparing Small Groups: used for domains where notably more detailed or precise assessment can be achieved by administering a slightly longer short form or additional short forms. Recommended when looking at an individual or making comparisons between smaller groups (subgroups of 50-75 people).

PROMIS Global Scales

Global Health 2-, 4-, and 10-item measures are brief and assess multiple symptoms and functions. They offer a broad assessment that is useful when comparing groups of individuals. Because these measures produce Global or Overall scores, it is difficult to tease apart the contributions of specific domains like Physical Function, Pain, or Fatigue to a summary score. These multi-domain summary scores may be less useful in providing actionable information in a clinical encounter.

When to use Global 2-, 4-, and 10-item measures:

PROMIS Adult Profiles

PROMIS Profiles for adults are a collection of short forms or computer adaptive tests containing a fixed number of items from seven or eight PROMIS domains (Depression, Anxiety, Physical Function, Pain Interference, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, and sometimes Cognitive Function).

When to use PROMIS Adult Profile measures:

To select the best Profile measure for you, identify if you are using it as a screening tool, comparing large groups (subgroups larger than 50-75 people), comparing small groups (subgroups smaller than 50-75 people), or evaluating individuals (e.g., for individual patient care). In addition, identify if you need a Cognitive Function score or would like to calculate a PROPr score.

Do Not Administer Entire Item Banks

Item banks are collections of items all measuring the same construct. In almost all cases, it is recommended that one only administer a subset of items from any given item bank such as through a short form or computer adaptive test. Item banks are not intended to be administered in their entirety to a single person. Administering all items in an item bank is burdensome and is not needed in order to produce a precise score.

Last updated on 9/18/2024