Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE-OM)
A 34-item self-report instrument designed to measure psychological distress and clinical outcomes across four domains: subjective well-being, problems/symptoms, life functioning, and risk/harm.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) was developed by Evans, C., Mellor-Clark, J., Margison, F., Barkham, M., Audin, K., Connell, J., & McGrath, G. (2000). It is designed to measure Psychological distress. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 34 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Subjective well-being, Problems/symptoms, Life functioning, Risk/harm.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Subjective well-being | 4,14,17,27 | 4 |
| Problems/symptoms | 2,5,8,13,15,18,20,23,28,30 | 10 |
| Life functioning | 1,3,7,10,11,12,19,21,25,26,29,31,32,33 | 14 |
| Risk/harm | 6,9,16,22,24,34 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not at all, 1 = Only Occasionally, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = Most or all the time.
The scale includes 8 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 136. Interpretation guidelines:
- Healthy: 0 – 20
- Low level distress: 21 – 33
- Mild distress: 34 – 50
- Moderate distress: 51 – 67
- Moderate-to-severe distress: 68 – 84
- Severe distress: 85 – 136
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranges from .75 to .94 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.