Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID): Measuring Distress

The PAID scale helps clinicians measure emotional distress in people living with diabetes. It identifies burdens like worry or burnout that make daily self-care difficult.

Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID) PDF questionnaire for assessing diabetes-related distress
PAID

Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID)

The Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID) is a 20-item survey measuring emotional distress linked to diabetes management. It helps clinicians identify psychosocial burdens, ensuring patients receive proper mental health support. This tool is key for understanding the daily challenges of living with the condition.

Category

Mental health
Wellbeing

Disease

Assessment
Mental Health
Quality of Life

Source

(Polonsky et al., 1995)

Author Name

Polonsky, W.H., Anderson, B.J., Lohrer, P.A. et al. (1995)

What is Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID)

The Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID) is a trusted tool for checking emotional distress in people living with diabetes. It helps spot burnout fast. This twenty item survey looks at the heavy feelings that often come with managing blood sugar levels and covers a wide range of common emotional struggles. Patients rate issues from "not a problem" to "serious problem" on a simple five point scale. Questions dig into specific worries like feeling scared about low blood sugar, guilt over food choices, or feeling alone without enough support from friends and family. Scores are turned into a scale from zero to one hundred, where higher numbers mean greater distress. This quick check helps doctors and nurses start honest chats about mental health. It is great for tracking changes over time so care teams can offer better help when the burden gets too heavy.

PAID Scoring

The Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale is scored using a straightforward calculation method that highlights emotional distress levels. First, participants rate 20 items on a scale from 0 for not a problem to 4 for a serious problem. You sum these responses to get a raw total between 0 and 80. To standardise the result, multiply this sum by 1.25, producing a final score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher numbers indicate greater diabetes burnout. A score of 40 or higher is a red flag, suggesting severe emotional distress that likely requires specific clinical attention.

View scoring form

Advantages

Diagnostic accuracy

Enables precise identification of patient health status.

Treatment planning

Develops personalised strategies based on assessment data.

Patient engagement

Promotes active participation in healthcare assessment.

Reliable data

Provides consistent measurements for clinical research.

10
Minutes
20
Questions

Streamline Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale data collection with WeGuide

Digitise the PAID scale to monitor diabetes distress. Automate scoring and track patient wellbeing over time.

Support Your patient in no time - all under your own brand

Our platform combines the knowledge of 100+ digital health solutions built, letting you easily build your patient engagement app for research or clinical use. Collect PROMs, support patients on waiting lists, or gather vital signs data. This is how:

Learn More

Program Builder

Import your clinical or research protocol, upload your forms and and off you go.
Learn More
We Guide

Whitelabelling

Get your own app in the store and created a trusted environment for your patients or participants.
Learn More

Turn on components, dependent on your usecase

Setup Program Information, Collect Wearable data.
Learn More

Support The Full Journey

Use WeGuide to support your patients or participants in the full journey, starting from screening & consent to collecting recurring data for months to come..
Learn More

It’s your turn

Every WeGuide project, saves researchers and clinicians - 9 months and $450,000 - creating impactful digital health solutions.

By clicking organise a demo, you’re confirming that we can contact you to set up a demonstration.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again.
No items found.