The PROMIS Global Health-10 (PROMIS-10) is a 10-item patient-reported questionnaire that measures a person's overall physical and mental health, along with pain, fatigue, social function, and quality of life. Developed through the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, it produces two summary scores, Global Physical Health and Global Mental Health, on a standardized T-score metric.
Why healthcare providers use the PROMIS-10
- Whole-person snapshot. It captures physical and mental health in a single brief form, giving a broad view of how a patient is functioning.
- Population comparison. T-scores are standardized to the US general population, so a score of 50 shows where a patient sits relative to the norm.
- Outcome tracking. Because it is short and repeatable, teams use it to measure change over time and gauge whether care is helping.
- Low burden. Ten questions take about two minutes, which supports high completion rates in busy clinics.
- Broad validation. It has been validated across many conditions and age groups, which makes it useful as a general health status measure.
Which settings use the PROMIS-10?
- Primary care. Clinicians use it as a general health check to flag physical or mental concerns that warrant a closer look.
- Specialty and rehabilitation clinics. Teams track physical and mental health outcomes before and after treatment.
- Behavioral health. Providers pair it with symptom-specific tools to monitor overall functioning and quality of life.
- Research and population health. Programs use it to compare health status across groups and over time.
What does the PROMIS-10 measure?
The PROMIS-10 asks patients to rate their health across several domains, then groups eight of the ten items into two summary scores. Two remaining items, a general health rating and a social roles item, are reported separately. The tool describes general health status rather than diagnosing any specific condition.
- Global Physical Health. Overall physical health, ability to carry out everyday physical activities, pain, and fatigue.
- Global Mental Health. Quality of life, mental health including mood and thinking, satisfaction with social activities and relationships, and emotional problems.
- General health and social roles. Two additional items rate overall health and the ability to carry out usual social activities and roles.
Scoring the PROMIS-10
- Number of items. 10 items, with 8 grouped into two four-item summary scores.
- Per-item scale. Most items use a 5-point scale, for example excellent to poor; the pain item uses a 0 to 10 rating that is recoded to the 5-point range for scoring.
- Total score range. Each four-item summary has a raw score of 4 to 20, which is converted to a T-score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
- Score direction. Higher scores indicate better health, so lower T-scores reflect worse physical or mental health.
The PROMIS-10 does not produce a single total score or a diagnosis. Interpretation is based on the two T-score summaries compared with the general population mean of 50. The bands below reflect the standard PROMIS approach of describing distance from the mean; they guide clinical decision-making and prompt follow-up rather than confirm a condition. Always interpret scores alongside the clinical interview and history.
| Score | Interpretation | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| T-score above 45 | Within normal limits | Monitor |
| T-score 40 to 45 | Mild impairment | Watchful waiting |
| T-score 30 to 40 | Moderate impairment | Consider further assessment |
| T-score below 30 | Severe impairment | Consider prompt evaluation |
Best practices for administration
- Use a consistent recall window. Keep the timeframe the same at every administration so scores stay comparable.
- Let patients self-report. Answers should reflect the patient's own view, so avoid answering on their behalf.
- Score both summaries. Report Global Physical Health and Global Mental Health separately rather than combining them.
- Re-administer on a schedule. Repeat the measure at set intervals to track change and support outcome monitoring.
- Pair with focused tools. When a summary score is low, follow up with condition-specific measures for a fuller picture.
- Confirm completeness. Check that every item is answered, since missing responses affect the T-score conversion.
How Zentake helps with the PROMIS-10
- Automatic scoring. Zentake converts responses into Global Physical Health and Global Mental Health T-scores on submit, with no hand-tallying.
- Longitudinal tracking. Re-send the PROMIS-10 on a schedule and view change over time.
- Before the visit. Patients at primary care practices complete it from home on any device so the clinician starts informed.
- HIPAA compliant. Data is encrypted, with a signed BAA on every plan.
References
The two summary scores were derived by Hays and colleagues (2009) in Development of physical and mental health summary scores from the PROMIS global items, published in Quality of Life Research.
Scoring, T-score conversion, and interpretation guidance come from the PROMIS Global Health scoring and interpretation resources published by HealthMeasures.
PROMIS measures are made publicly available by HealthMeasures for research, clinical, and educational use without licensing or royalty fees; commercial use requires permission.
Last updated: August 2026