PROMIS is a family of patient-reported measures of physical, mental, and social health, from one-domain short forms to the PROMIS-29 profile. Every score is a T-score: 50 is the average for the reference population, and every 10 points is one standard deviation. See what each score means, which way each domain runs, and how much change matters, then record the result with the free template.
PROMIS result template
FreePROMIS RESULT Date: [Date] Patient: [Name or ID, age] Reason: [Baseline, follow-up, re-evaluation, or discharge] MEASURE Measure and version: [PROMIS-29 Profile v2.1, a short form such as Anxiety 8a, a CAT, or Global Health] Administration: [Paper, patient portal, or clinic tablet; self-completed or read aloud; language] Scoring: [Scored by the platform, the HealthMeasures Scoring Service, or the scoring manual table] T-SCORES Higher is worse: [Each symptom domain with its T-score and severity label] Higher is better: [Each function domain with its T-score and severity label] Pain intensity: [0 to 10, or not part of this measure] CHANGE OVER TIME Baseline: [Date and T-score for each domain] Change: [Points up or down for each domain since baseline] Meaningful change: [Domains that moved 5 points or more, and which way] CLINICAL READING Context: [Diagnosis, treatment so far, and what the history and exam show] Interpretation: [What the scores mean for this patient, and where they agree or disagree with the exam] PLAN Next step: [Continue, change treatment, refer, or discharge] Goal: [Target T-score for each tracked domain] Repeat: [Measure, and the date or interval] Clinician: [Name, credentials]
Use it for
Pick the domains that match the goal of care, then the format: a short form for one domain, a computer adaptive test where your software runs one, the PROMIS-29 for a broad picture, or Global Health for a quick summary.
Avoid: Writing your own version. Changing or dropping items breaks the scoring, and the measures are copyrighted.
The patient completes it on paper, through a portal, or on a clinic tablet. Most domains ask about the past 7 days; physical function asks what the person can do now.
Avoid: Helping the patient pick answers. The score is their view, not yours.
Each domain gets its own T-score. Software scores CATs and digital forms on its own; for a paper short form, convert the raw sum with the scoring manual’s table or the free HealthMeasures Scoring Service.
Avoid: Recording the raw sum as the score. A raw total can’t be compared with the cut points or with a different form; only the T-score can.
50 is the average for the reference population. Check which way the domain runs before you name a severity.
Avoid: Diagnosing from a T-score. An anxiety score of 65 shows more anxiety than most people report, not which disorder it is.
Repeat the same domains at set points, such as every few sessions and at discharge, and compare with baseline.
Avoid: Switching to a different domain or measure system midway. Keep the domain the same so the trend means something.
Each one follows the recording template. Use them to judge how much to write.
Outpatient physical therapy, week 8 re-evaluation, profile completed on a clinic tablet
PROMIS-29 Profile v2.1, self-completed in English on the clinic tablet before the session and scored by the platform. Baseline taken at the evaluation on September 12.
Higher is worse: pain interference 57, mild; sleep disturbance 53, fatigue 52, anxiety 51, and depression 48, all within normal limits. Higher is better: physical function 44, mild; social roles and activities 47, within normal limits. Pain intensity 4 of 10.
Baseline: pain interference 64, moderate; physical function 38, moderate; social roles 42, mild; sleep disturbance 57, mild; pain intensity 7. Pain interference down 7 and physical function up 6, both past the 5-point mark. Social roles up 5. Sleep down 4: probably better, not yet clear. Anxiety, depression, and fatigue moved 2 points or less.
52-year-old warehouse supervisor with low back pain for 14 months, no leg symptoms or neurological signs. Now carries groceries up two flights of stairs and sits through a 45-minute meeting, up from 20 minutes. The scores agree with the exam: real gains in how much pain gets in the way and in function, with physical function still just under the normal range.
Continue physical therapy, down from twice a week to once a week for 4 weeks: progress lifting and core work, and update the home program. Goal: physical function 45 or above, pain interference 55 or below. Repeat the PROMIS-29 at discharge in 4 weeks.
Outpatient therapy by video, session 10, short form completed through the patient portal
PROMIS Short Form v1.0 Anxiety 8a, completed by the client through the portal the day before each session, in English, and scored by the portal.
Higher is worse: anxiety 61, moderate.
Intake on August 28: 72, severe. Session 6: 69, moderate, down 3, within measurement error. Session 10: 61, down 11 from intake, a clear improvement.
38-year-old project manager with generalized anxiety disorder, diagnosed at intake: constant worry about work and her children’s health, poor sleep, and muscle tension. Weekly CBT since August: worry time, challenging catastrophic thoughts, and cutting back reassurance seeking. When the score had barely moved at session 6, medication was discussed; she chose to keep to therapy alone and review at session 10. She now sleeps 6 to 7 hours most nights and texts her partner for reassurance two or three times a day, down from a dozen.
Continue weekly CBT for 6 more sessions, then every two weeks once the score is under 60. Goal: anxiety 55 or below. No medication for now; revisit if the score rises 5 points or more. Repeat the Anxiety 8a before every second session.
A physical function score of 38 is poor; an anxiety score of 38 means very little anxiety. Check whether higher is better or worse before you label it.
A raw sum isn’t a PROMIS score. Convert it to a T-score, or it can’t be compared with the cut points, earlier visits, or other forms.
For one patient, 2 or 3 points can be measurement error. Look for about 5 points before you record a change.
There is no PROMIS-29 total. Each domain has its own T-score; adding them gives a number with no meaning.
The bands say how a score compares with the population. The diagnosis still comes from the history and exam.
Vero Scribe records the PROMIS result in your template from the visit, with the patient’s consent, or from your dictation: each domain’s T-score, which way it runs, the change from baseline, and the plan. You review and edit every line, then copy it into your record. Vero works in 60+ languages.
PROMIS, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, is a set of more than 300 measures of physical, mental, and social health, developed with NIH funding from 2004. It includes item banks, short forms of 4 to 10 items, computer adaptive tests, profiles such as the PROMIS-29, and Global Health. All of them score on the same T-score scale.
Each domain gets its own T-score. Software scores CATs and digital forms automatically. For a paper short form, add the item responses for a raw sum, then convert it with the table in the HealthMeasures scoring manual, or upload the answers to the free HealthMeasures Scoring Service, which is more precise and handles missing answers. Domains are never added together.
A T-score compares the patient with a reference population, usually the general population: 50 is average, and every 10 points is one standard deviation. A higher score means more of the domain, so higher is worse for symptoms such as pain interference or anxiety, and better for function such as physical function.
For symptom domains such as anxiety, depression, and pain interference, 55 or below is within normal limits, above 55 to 60 mild, above 60 to 70 moderate, and above 70 severe. For physical function the lines are 45, 40, and 30, running the other way. These are general guides; some domains use other labels, and studies in specific conditions have set their own thresholds.
HealthMeasures puts meaningful change for one patient at about 5 to 7 T-score points, with 5 a reasonable lower bound. For comparing groups, 2 to 6 points, with 3 reasonable in most settings. The exact figure varies by measure and by how severe the starting score is.
The QuickDASH and LEFS ask about one region, the arm or the leg, each on its own scale. PROMIS Physical Function covers the whole body and daily activities on a T-score compared with the general population, so results compare across conditions. Many clinics use both: a region-specific measure for the injury, and PROMIS for overall function, pain, and mood.
Anyone on the care team can hand it out. Patients complete it themselves, and no special training is needed to give it; the clinician reads and acts on the scores. Adult forms are for ages 18 and up, pediatric self-report forms start at age 8, and parent-report forms cover younger children.
Paper forms of the English measures are free to download from HealthMeasures, and so are its scoring service, scoring manuals, and cut point figures. Translated forms and digital use in your own software carry per-measure fees, except for a single non-commercial research study in English. If your record system or survey platform already includes PROMIS, it usually handles the license. The recording template on this page is free to copy or download.
Six basic self-care activities rated independent or dependent, scored 0 to 6, for function and care needs in older adults.
Eight independent living tasks, from shopping to finances, each scored 0 or 1: a total from 0, dependent, to 8, independent.
Eleven questions on arm, shoulder, and hand function over the past week, scored 0 to 100: the higher, the more disability.
Twenty everyday activities rated for difficulty: lower limb function scored 0 to 80, higher is better, and 9 points is a real change.
Forty-two questions on one knee over the past week: five subscales, each scored 0 to 100, where 100 means no knee problems.
The first visit: history, exam, outcome measures, and the plan of care.
Re-evaluation with outcome scores compared against baseline.
Goal by goal, with scores over time.
Evaluations, daily notes, and progress reports from the session.
Vero records scores, findings, and plans in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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