How Involved Patients Are in Their Own Care?

Your doctor may soon need to test how "activated" you are. 

"Patient activation" is a measure of how engaged patients will be in their own care. Patients who are highly activated have better outcomes and incur lower costs, studies show, even though as many as 40% of Americans lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to become model patients. They fail to take their medications, skip preventive screenings and end up back in the hospital soon after discharge. Activation is especially important for patients leaving a hospital after surgery or trying to manage diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic conditions.

More hospitals, health plans and employers are scoring patients on how engaged they will be in their care using an assessment called the Patient Activation Measure, or PAM. Scores make it easier to customize information, coaching and other interventions. The aim is for patients, rather than feel overwhelmed by instructions, to become confident that they can change their own behavior.

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