CORE-OM (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure)
CORE-OM is a relatively brief, user-friendly questionnaire designed to measure the effect of psychotherapeutic or counselling interventions and to routinely monitor progress in treatment. It is used at the beginning of therapy to determine differences in the severity of problems people may have and at subsequent intervals to measure change. The questionnaire contains 34 statements to which the respondent answers on a scale of how often they have felt this way in the last week. The items are divided into four subscales:
- Mental well-being (a person’s satisfaction with self),
- Problems (symptoms common to depression, anxiety, effects of traumatic events, and physical symptoms),
- Functioning (close relationships, overall functioning of the person and other social aspects),
- Risk (risky behaviors in relation to other people or to oneself).
Length of completion
The entire questionnaire will take approximately 7-10 minutes to complete.
Keywords
CORE-OM, outcome measure, mental well-being, problems, functioning, risk
Scoring and interpretation
The items can be used to calculate the scores for all the above subscales, the total score for the entire questionnaire, and the total questionnaire score excluding the Risk subscale. An average score is used, which takes values from 0 to 4. A higher score means a higher level of pathology. Eight items are positively worded and reverse scored (items 3, 4, 7, 12, 19, 21, 31, 32).
Response Scale
Clients always select one option on a five-point scale ranging from “not at all” (0) to “mostly or always” (4).
References
Evans, C., Mellor-Clark, J., Margison, F., Barkham, M., Audin, K., Connell, J., & McGrath, G. (2000). CORE: Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation. Journal of Mental Health, 9(3), 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1080/jmh.9.3.247.255
Evans, C., Connell, J., Barkham, M., Margison, F., McGrath, G., Mellor-Clark, J., & Audin, K. (2002). Towards a standardised brief outcome measure: Psychometric properties and utility of the CORE–OM. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.180.1.51
Information about the CORE-OM. (2022). Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (and CST). Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.coresystemtrust.org.uk/home/instruments/core-om-information/
Juhová, D., Řiháček, T., Cígler, H., Dubovská, E., Saic, M., Černý, M., Dufek, J., & Evans, C. (2018). Česká adaptace dotazníku CORE-OM: Vybrané psychometrické charakteristiky. Československá psychologie, 62(1), 59-74. https://www.muni.cz/vyzkum/publikace/1415916