Patient Global Impression of Change Scale
What It Measures
The Patient Global Impression of Change is one question, asked after treatment: compared with how you were when we started, how are you now? The person picks one of seven answers, from very much improved through no change to very much worse.
Its value is as a reality check on other measures. A four-point drop on a symptom scale is a number; the PGIC tells you whether the person actually noticed. That is why it is used as the anchor for working out what counts as a clinically meaningful change on longer instruments. Because change is built into the question, there is no baseline version — it can only be asked at follow-up. Ratings of much improved or very much improved are the usual responder definition.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The PGIC is reproduced without restriction across clinical trial protocols and federal health resources. ePROVIDE also maintains an instrument record with translations.
Learn More: The PGIC is a retrospective global judgement, known to be colored by how a person feels on the day rather than by actual change from baseline, so it complements pre- and post-measurement rather than replacing it.