What is it?

The CORE measurement tool is broad measure of psychological distress and is used across a wide range of situations. It has two forms: the standard CORE-OM  and the shortened CORE-10. A higher score on either measure indicates greater psychological distress.

CORE-OM has 34 questions across 4 different aspects of psychological wellbeing:

• Wellbeing (4 items)
• Symptoms (12 items)
• Functioning (12 items)
• Risk (6 items)

CORE-10 is a short 10-item version of the CORE-OM to be used as a screening tool and outcome measure where the CORE-OM is considered too long for routine use.

It covers anxiety [2 items]; depression [2 items] trauma [1 item]; physical problems [1 item], functioning [3 items day to day, close relationships and social relationships]; and risk to self [1 item]. The measure has 6 high intensity/ severity and 4 low intensity/severity items.

Why use this scale? 

• The CORE measurement tool is the gold standard tool for measuring psychological distress.
• The CORE indicators form the basis for a simple but robust framework for evaluating the quality of therapy service provision.

How to choose between CORE-OM and CORE-10

We recommend that the more thorough CORE-OM measure is used for at least the first and last treatment session. If preferred, the quicker CORE-10 measure can be used in the middle sessions.

Some organisations will use CORE-10 throughout. In this case it is usually accompanied by other measures and clinical interviews at the start and finish of treatment to ensure a complete picture.