Abstract
The patients’ active participation in their medical care is important for patients with chronic diseases. Measurements of patient activation are needed for studies and in clinical practice. This study aims to validate the Patient Activation Measure 13 (PAM13-D) in German-speaking primary care patients. This international cross-sectional multicentre study enrolled consecutively patients from primary care practices in three German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Patients completed the PAM13-D questionnaire. General Self-Efficacy scale (GSE) was used to assess convergent validity. Furthermore Cronbach’s alpha was performed to assess internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the underlying factor structure of the items. We included 508 patients from 16 primary care practices in the final analysis. Results were internally consistent, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84. Factor analysis revealed one major underlying factor. The mean values of the PAM13-D correlated significantly (r = 0.43) with those of the GSE. The German PAM13 is a reliable and valid measure of patient activation. Thus, it may be useful in primary care clinical practice and research.
Highlights
Chronic illnesses are of growing importance [1] especially in primary health care [2]
Active participation of patients in their own medical care is crucial to effective management of chronic conditions
general practitioners (GPs) need practical measures to assess patient activity and a specific measurement is needed for research and clinical practice
Summary
Chronic illnesses are of growing importance [1] especially in primary health care [2]. Promoting active patient participation in managing their illnesses is an important task for general practitioners (GPs) [10]. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) is a reliable and valid questionnaire that measures patient activation [8]. It is available in a 13-item short form (PAM13) [6]. It identifies four elements of patient activation (knowledge, skills, confidence, and behaviours critical for coping with a chronic illness) and suggests four levels of activation that patients reach in becoming fully engaged in managing their own health [7]. The aim of this study was to design a culturally-adapted the PAM13-D, and to validate the questionnaire in a German-speaking primary care population
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