Patients experience difficulty in managing their health due to a multitude of reasons.  Through use of consumer health information systems and services (CHISS)  it is hoped that patient’s feelings of control over their health will increase. Once these tools have been deployed it is important to evaluate whether they are having a positive effect on consumers and patients.

The  Patient Activation Measure (PAM) utilizes a four step model that

1. advocates for a consumer-centric approach to health management,
2. encourages increased empowerment of the patient so that they are more likely to take action,
3. assume that patients will then take steps to better manage their health and
4. assist in steadying health maintenance procedures for patients. 

PAM can be used as a measure for engaging patients from vulnerable populations as well as patients suffering from chronic conditions.   A benefit in the use of PAM is that it also encourages more active relationships between doctors and patients and parallels patient engagement strategies used by HCG for their patients.  Patient activation is particularly desirable in underserved populations and implies that attention to this attribute can assist in reducing disparities in healthcare (Hibbard & Cunningham, 2008).