Frequently Asked Questions

1. General questions:
• Who are these instruments intended for? The instruments available on this website are intended for use with patients.
2. Questions related to the license:
• Is it necessary to complete a licensing agreement? Yes, all of the self-care measures available on the website are free to use for non-commercial research purposes. But you must complete the Instrument Use Agreement on the homepage. It must be licensed for all purposes and cannot be re-distributed without permission.
• Do I have to pay a license fee? No license fee is charged.
3. Questions about the instruments:
• How often can the instrument be administered to my study participants? You can administer it as often as you need to. We typically ask patients to “Think about how you have been feeling in the last month as you complete this survey.” But that interval can be made shorter or longer depending on your study design.
• Can I modify the instrument to suit my purposes? No. Please do not modify any of the instruments available here except for the general introduction about study interval, as described above.
• Can the instruments be used in clinical practice? Yes, clinicians are encouraged to use the instruments to assess where your patients are having difficulty with self-care. In this manner, you can tailor your interventions to the specific issues your patients are experiencing.
4. Questions related to implementation and support:
• How do I score the instrument? Instructions for scoring are available on the website.
• How do I confirm the reliability and validity of an existing translation available on the website? Contact the person who translated it.