PROMIS® Measures: Free Outcome Measures for Clinicians

Did you know that clinicians can access over 300 free, standardized assessments that evaluate 70 areas of client concerns?

Designed to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of patient-reported tools, PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) measures are publicly available for use in both research and clinical practice.

PROMIS was a government-funded project in which the National Institute of Health (NIH) allocated an estimated $84,750,000 over 15 years to create psychometrically sound measures for use across settings and practice areas. Applicable to both adults and children, the questionnaires cover areas of physical, mental, and social health.

These open access assessments are designed to enhance the communication between medical professionals and their patients. You can find—and learn more about—these outcome measures on the HealthMeasures website. We’ll also provide more information on how to access them later in this blog post.

We will soon be adding the PROMIS measures included in this post to our assessment bank, making it even easier for you to incorporate them into your everyday practice!

What Assessments Are Available?

There are two assessment modalities for administering PROMIS measures:

1. Fixed Outcome Measures

Similar to paper assessments, the structure and content of these assessments remain static across all individuals. Therapists can download and print all assessments free of charge to use in a clinical or non-commercial research capacity. However, if you wish to upload an assessment to an EMR, you must get explicit permission from PROMIS. Here are some other terms to know as you peruse the PROMIS library:

• Short Forms: Standardized measures with a reduced number of questions to assess client factors.

• Scales: Indicates that all questions are administered (rather than a subset of questions).

• Profiles: Groups of measures to administer for a more holistic understanding of the client. Profiles include several short form assessments and vary in the number of client factors assessed. These can be completed via paper or CATs (more on those below), and they produce one overall score rating.

• Battery: A set of measures that are administered together, but yield several individual scores.

• Pool: A group of measures or response items that are administered together, but are not standardized—yielding only a raw score that cannot relate to the standardized tables.

2. Computer Adaptive Tests (CAT)

CATs are administered online via software like REDcap, Epic, and the NIH Toolbox app. These tests are auto-scored. Note that all PROMIS surveys can be accessed free of charge through REDCap for personal, clinical, and non-commercial research use. There are three types of CATs:

• Standard: In Standard CATs, the survey administers items according to a “stopping rule.” This could be a set minimum/maximum number of questions, a specific standard error of measurement (to ensure results stay standard), or the selection of a specific answer for a specific question. The “stopping rule” varies across different assessments.

• Recommended: Recommended CATs are similar to Standard CATs, except that they are shorter and sometimes have a more sensitive stopping rule for the standard error of measurement. PROMIS promotes these for use in “healthier” populations.

• Screen-to-CAT: These tests begin with 1–2 initial screening questions before moving on to the CAT. If the patient chooses an answer indicating good health, then the screening is complete. If other answers are chosen, the patient is directed to the Recommended CAT for the associated client factor.

As shown in the graphic below, there is a wide variety of PROMIS measures available for both adults and children.

Pediatric measures come in three forms:

1. Early childhood: For ages 1–5 years old; completed by a parent.

2. Pediatric: For ages 5–17; completed by the child.

3. Parent Proxy: For ages 5–17 years old; used to gain a different perspective of the patient’s situation (or when the patient is unable to complete the questionnaire themselves).

Whenever possible, it is best to assess both the child and the parents/caregivers, as this provides two perspectives on the situation.

How to Access Assessments

For your convenience, the tables below contain all of the available PROMIS measures, as well as a direct link to each—including “respondent ready” PDF short forms, battery/profiles, and CATs.

Assessments are divided into four main categories: Global Health, Mental Health, Physical Function and Social Health. In the “Name/Link” column, you’ll find the direct link to the downloadable PDFs.

PROMIS Global Health Measures

If you already know which assessment you would like to use, you can quickly find it by typing the name into the search tool on this page.

CATs are accessed through various third-party software providers (as outlined above). That said, item-banks can be previewed by specifying the administration platform when using the PROMIS search feature.

PROMIS has also compiled several lists of assessments on the HealthMeasures website, which you can use to look for relevant measures. These tables denote the assessment’s domain, a brief description of what the scale measures, and the number of versions available.

• List of All PROMIS Domains (Downloadable PDF)

• List of Adult Measures

• List of Pediatric Measures

• List of Parent-Proxy Measures

As previously noted, PROMIS allows free use of assessments in all clinical settings and for non-commercial research. Clinics and institutions can upload PROMIS measures into any electronic medical record system, but they must gain explicit permission in the form of a HealthMeasures Electronic Administration Permission (HEAP). This allows PROMIS to verify that the assessment and its scoring standards are accurately uploaded (note that verification may require a fee).

Scoring

There are several options for scoring PROMIS measures:

• Using the free HealthMeasures scoring service

• Scoring manually by hand

• Using an administration platform (REDcap, Assessment Center API, etc.)

PROMIS recommends using auto-scoring options whenever possible, as scores are delivered quickly and accurately.

Therapists can download the HealthMeasures scoring service for free; upload a completed client assessment; and automatically receive a test score, t-score, and standard error of measurement. Check out this page for more information on the scoring instructions.

Interpreting Scores

All PROMIS assessment scores are converted to t-scores—also known as standard scores—where the mean is 50 and each standard deviation is 10.

Quick statistics refresher:

• Mean is the average of all values, indicating the central tendency or “typical/ expected” result in a set of data.

• Standard deviation indicates the relative distance of a value from the mean, demonstrating how different a score is from those of “typical” responses.

• T-score (a.k.a. “standard score”) compares a score against the “normative” data for that measure.

For all PROMIS measures, a higher t-score indicates that more of the domain is present in the participant.

Scores can also be interpreted through “cut points,” where the score is assigned a descriptor such as “within normal limits” or “severe.” Cut-point scores vary in terminology and range for different assessments. Learn more about cut points here.

PROMIS also developed methods for determining G-code severity modifiers (i.e., impairment percentage) based on the scores. Learn more here.

The general calculation for meaningful change across all assessments (based on the standard score) is a minimal detectable change (MCD) of 5–7 points. Questionnaires with more items have higher meaningful change requirements (typically 6 or 7 points), while shorter assessments have lower required change (typically 5 or 6 points).

Considerations for Choosing CATs vs. Short Forms

While both of these assessment modalities offer a reduced number of questions for respondents, there are several differences that are important to consider when determining which modality to utilize.

1. Technology Available 

CATs must be administered through a computer/tablet, while short forms are paper-based (but in some cases can be uploaded to electronic medical records).

2. Scoring Time/Productivity

CATs are always automatically generated and scored through the third-party administration platform, saving clinicians time. Short forms take time to print—and while they can be scored through the free HealthMeasures scoring service, it also takes time to input the answers.

3. Accuracy Required

CATs generate more precise scores, as they measure only what is necessary—taking the standard error of measurement into consideration. With short forms, precision varies based on which questionnaire is chosen. While longer short forms offer greater precision, they also take more time to administer, reducing productivity and increasing patient burden—especially when multiple assessments are given.

4. Time

CATs adjust based on answers, reducing assessment time when the patient responds as “healthy,” while short forms are a fixed length.

5. Recommendations

PROMIS recommends using a CAT over a short form when a high degree of accuracy is required, when there is a small number of questions, and when a large number of individuals with poor health are expected to be included in a research study.

Why use PROMIS?

Clinicians must constantly weigh the cost of an assessment against accessibility and the evidence supporting the measure—which is exactly why having access to over 300 free assessments is such a game changer. These patient-reported measures cover many client factors relevant to clinicians across a variety of practice settings and populations, offering a standardized view into the client experience.

Standardization

Standardization enables a more precise identification of a client’s problem areas and a more accurate marker of change. It also allows practitioners to compare scores from different domains so they can identify the most severe factors for a particular client. Furthermore, these assessments are standardized for all populations and can easily be integrated into initial evaluation procedures.

Efficiency

With so many delivery modalities available, clinicians are better able to select an assessment method that truly suits their practice and the needs of the patient, whether that’s through electronic means or paper delivery. PROMIS measures reduce the burden on clients by offering shortened assessments through CAT and short forms, while also maintaining and improving productivity in the evaluation process.

Flexibility

PROMIS measures also come in many translations, and PROMIS continues to update and produce additional outcome measures, expanding their reach and relevance in the medical field.

Who is Using PROMIS Measures?

PROMIS measures are used by many health professionals across practice settings, including:

• Occupational therapists

• Physical therapists

• Speech language pathologists

• Recreation therapists

• Psychologists

• Mental health professionals

• Primary care physicians

• Oncologists

• Orthopedic surgeons

PROMIS measures are promoted by health organizations such as the:

• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Internationally, they are utilized by:

• The United Kingdom

• Canada

• Australia

• Germany

• Italy

• The Netherlands

Recent Updates

PROMIS measures are still highly researched, with mentions in 870 publications in 2025.

Current research focuses on:

• Developing assessments with additional domains.

• Using assessments with specific populations—such as patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), arthritis, and neurological conditions.

• Confirming the validity of new and existing assessments.

• Creating and validating translated assessment versions (to increase international impact).

• Continuing to improve assessment psychometrics, reduce bias, and maintain standardization across all assessments.

How to Cite

The PROMIS website instructs users to cite a measure using the article that describes its development—which you can find by searching the assessment on PubMed or consulting their primary citation publication list.

More about PROMIS Health Organization (PHO)

The PROMIS Health Organization (PHO) is a nonprofit organization with members from around the world—all focused on the promotion of patient-reported measures. In addition to providing guides on the successful implementation and use of PROMIS questionnaires, the organization offers a variety of educational and networking opportunities such as webinars, online training workshops, and annual conferences.

Conclusion 

PROMIS measures offer therapists and other clinicians a powerful, no-cost evaluation tool—one that is standardized, efficient, and backed by tons of research. Whether you’re working in pediatrics, mental health, acute care, or any other practice setting, there’s probably a PROMIS measure that fits your clients’ needs and your workflow.

As a reminder, we will be adding the PROMIS measures included in this blog post directly to our assessment bank, making it even easier to find and incorporate these tools into your everyday practice. As these assessments are added to the bank, members of the OT Potential Club, will be able to access the info using our full Assessment Search and AI Chat.

We hope this overview serves as a helpful starting point for exploring what PROMIS has to offer—and that these measures help you deliver even more client-focused, evidence-based care.