Health Survey

Self-Efficacy Scale for Managing Chronic Disease

Developed by Kate Lorig, RN, DrPH and David Sobel, MD, MPH for the Stanford Patient Education Research Center. Measures individual’s belief that they can manage their chronic condition.

  • 6-item scale contains items taken from several scales developed for the Chronic Disease Self-Management study
  • Covers several domains that are common across many chronic diseases: symptom control, role function, emotional functioning and communicating with physicians
  • High internal consistency reliability
  • Correlated with both clinical outcomes and future claims costs
Patient Activation Measure

Developed by Judy Hibbard, PhD at University of Oregon using the convergence of the findings from a national expert consensus panel and patient focus groups to define the concept and identify the domains of activation.

  • A valid, highly reliable, unidimensional, probabilistic Guttman-like scale that reflects a developmental model of activation
  • Activation involves four stages: (1) believing the patient role is important, (2) having the confidence and knowledge necessary to take action, (3) actually taking action to maintain and improve one’s health, and (4) staying the course even under stress
  • Good psychometric properties indicating that it can be used at the individual patient level to tailor intervention and assess changes
  • Recent Kaiser study links stage of PAM to future health care claims
EQ-5D

Developed by the EuroQol Group EQ-5D as a standardized and validated instrument for describing and valuing health-related quality of life.

  • User-friendly and validated for populations around the world
  • Applicable to a wide range of health conditions and treatments, it provides a simple descriptive profile and a single index value for health status
  • Estimates effectiveness in quality-adjusted life year or QALY, which takes into account both quantity and the quality of life. It is the arithmetic product of life expectancy and a measure of the quality of the remaining life years, and can be used to compare the cost-effectiveness of different health interventions.
  • One of the few measures recommended for use in cost-effectiveness analyses by the Washington Panel on Cost Effectiveness in Health & Medicine

The OHSU Health Management Survey is a third-generation health risk assessment which incorporates the most current knowledge available on behavior change theory, including Motivational Interviewing, Stages of Change, Self-efficacy and Patient Activation. It was designed by an interdisciplinary team of experts in health services research, healthcare and behavioral health.

Survey development was spearheaded by Ariel Linden, DrPH, MS and Susan Butterworth, PhD, MS, who are regarded as leaders in the health and disease management industries. Drs. Butterworth and Linden excel in successfully applying the science of behavior change theory and program evaluation to real-world interventions and programs.

The OHSU Health Management Survey integrates several valid and reliable instruments such as the Self-efficacy Scale for Managing Chronic Disease; the Patient Activation Measure; and the EQ-5D. Additional questions elicit demographic and utilization information, assess lifestyle risks, and address ambivalence and readiness to change. The OHSU Health Management Survey is not only a platform for gathering information, but also serves as an intervention in and of itself. We have employed a sophisticated layering of skip logic so that participants respond to question sets that are tailored to their risks.

Upon completion of the online survey each participant immediately receives a personalized report. Graphic displays provide comparisons to US norms, and Internet links are supplied to access educational materials, customized for each participant's risks and preferences.

Aggregated reports are readily accessible to obtain the following population-level information:

  • Demographic characteristics
  • Health care utilization and work productivity
  • Chronic illness burden
  • Self-efficacy scores
  • Patient activation scores
  • Perceived health status
  • Health index (quality adjusted life year values for cost effectiveness analysis)
  • Lifestyle risk factors
  • Stages of change

Please contact us for a demonstration of our survey.

“I am very impressed with the HMS Survey. It is easy to use, quick, and I thought the sections on identifying a focus area and assessing readiness are right on target. I like the visuals ('It's your choice, of course'), the progress bar, and the thermometer for assessing health status. And-most importantly-the survey is likely to play an important role in supporting lasting health behavior change in those that use it.”

—Steven Malcolm Berg-Smith, MS, MINT Trainer, Consultant, Health Counselor


“I really appreciate you putting this survey online. Not only did it help me gauge my heath status at this point in my life, but it will help me change what I am not happy with. It isn't just one of those multiple choice surveys that don't tell you anything. I'm glad that it actually gave me feedback at the end. So, to whoever put this survey online, thank you.”

—Shelby Kuyl, OHSU Employee, Wellness Program Participant