Summary of commonly used dyspnea measures in primary care5,44,45
| Dyspnea measure | Key features | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| COPD Assessment Test (CAT) | Evaluates 8 items on a 6-point scale, corresponding to health status impairment in COPD Higher scores represent worse health | Short, simple questionnaire Covers wide range of symptoms Well-validated and reliable Correlates closely with SGRQ Readily available | Does not categorize patients into symptom severity groups for scores in the range of 10–40 |
| Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale | Evaluates everyday situations/ activity levels on a 5-point scale Higher scores represent greater disability | Short, simple questionnaire Well-validated and reliable Relates well to other measures of health status Able to predict future mortality risk Readily available | Less effective at detecting change in response after an intervention than alternative measures Considers dyspnea alone, so does not account for the broader impact of COPD |
| COPD Control Questionnaire (CCQ) | Evaluates 10 items on a 6-point scale based on the previous week’s symptoms, measuring COPD-related health status Higher scores represent worse health | Short, simple questionnaire Well-validated and reliable Measures functional and mental capacities as well as symptoms Readily available | Does not categorize patients into symptom severity groups |
| Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) | Evaluates 20 items on a 7-point scale across 4 domains: dyspnea, fatigue, emotional function, mastery Higher scores represent better health-related quality of life | Well-validated and reliable Responds well to changes over time | License required to use questionnaire Longer than alternative dyspnea measures Does not categorize patients into symptom severity groups |
Abbreviations: COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; SGRQ, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire.