Psychometric Properties of the Patient Activation Measure in Family Caregivers of Patients With Chronic Illnesses.
Chin-Yen Lin, Misook L Chung, Donna L Schuman and 8 others
PMID 37011339WHAT IT FOUND
In 277 rural family caregivers, the 10-item Patient Activation Measure produced usable scores.
Lower depression and higher activation were linked with more self-care behaviors. It is an assessment tool, not proof that activation improves health.
Key findings
01In 277 rural family caregivers, all 10 PAM-10 items were retained and contributed to the total score.
02Caregivers without depression had higher PAM-10 scores: 71.6 versus 63.5.
03Caregivers with higher PAM-10 scores were more likely to report following recommended cardiovascular self-care behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a baseline analysis from a randomized intervention study, so it does not test whether using the PAM-10 improves caregiver or patient outcomes. All measures were self-reported. Most caregivers were non-Hispanic White, so results may not apply to other racial or ethnic groups. Most caregivers were female, so male caregivers may differ. The sample came from rural caregivers in one southern state, so it may not apply to urban or other regional caregivers. The item responses split into two groups rather than one, so the total score may combine two related ideas.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that raising a caregiver's PAM-10 score will improve the patient's health or that the measure is validated for all caregiver groups. The study was a baseline analysis, used self-report, and included mostly non-Hispanic White female rural caregivers, so it shows association, not effectiveness.