At a glance
Number of items:10 questions.
Completion time: Around 2–3 minutes.
1. What is the PROMIS Global-10?
The PROMIS Global-10 (PROMIS Global Health v1.2, 10-item form) is a brief patient-reported outcome measure that provides an overall picture of a person’s health. The PROMIS Global-10 asks about health over the past 7 days or “in general” across several domains:
- Overall health and quality of life.
- Physical health and ability to carry out daily physical activities.
- Mental health, mood and ability to think clearly.
- Satisfaction with social activities and roles.
- Fatigue and pain intensity.
Together, these questions provide a concise snapshot of a person’s overall health status and functioning and allow tracking of both physical and mental health over time.
2. How is it scored?
Each item is scored according to its response options:
- Most items use a 1–5 scoring pattern (higher scores reflecting better health or function).
- The pain item is rated from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable) and then recoded onto a 1–5 scale so that less pain receives a higher score.
From these item scores, two raw summary scores are calculated:
Global Physical Health (GPH): Sum of four items relating to physical health, physical function, pain (recoded) and fatigue. Raw GPH scores typically range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating better physical health.
Global Mental Health (GMH): Sum of four items relating to quality of life, mental health, satisfaction with social activities and emotional problems. Raw GMH scores also range from 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating better mental health.
The two remaining global items (overall health and ability to carry out social roles) are usually reported individually rather than being included in the GPH or GMH raw sums. For more information refer to: PROMIS
3. How do I interpret change over time?
Improvement: An increase of ~3–5+ T-score points (especially ≥5) usually reflects a meaningful improvement in health. Higher GPH or GMH scores over time suggest better physical or mental health, but should always be read alongside clinical context and other outcomes.
Deterioration: A decrease of ~3–5+ T-score points (especially ≥5) usually reflects meaningful deterioration in health. Falling scores may indicate worsening symptoms or function and can prompt review of the treatment plan or further assessment.