Epworth Sleepiness Scale scoring and licence
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale has eight items about a person's usual chance of dozing in everyday situations. Ratings from 0 to 3 produce a total from 0 to 24, with scores of 11 or more falling in the excessive daytime sleepiness bands.
The scale is under copyright. Get a licence from the owner before building it online, preserve its wording and make every item required because one blank answer invalidates the score.
Last updated
- Items 8
- Score range 0 to 24
- Time frame Usual chance of dozing
- Bands 0-5 through 16-24
- Licence Copyright; licence required
What is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and who developed it?
Dr Murray Johns developed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in 1990 and revised it in 1997. Its eight items ask a person to rate their usual chance of dozing in different everyday situations.
Each Epworth item has a rating from 0 through 3. The eight ratings add to a total from 0 through 24, which the owner divides into five daytime sleepiness bands.
The owner's scale information is the source for current wording, scoring and permission. Staff should use that version rather than recreating the scale from memory or altering an old copy.
What do the Epworth Sleepiness Scale items cover?
Epworth items cover eight everyday situations and the person's usual chance of dozing in each. Every situation receives an individual rating.
- Eight separate everyday situations form the scale.
- Each entry concerns the person's usual chance of dozing in that situation.
- The person rates every situation individually on the scale's 0 to 3 structure.
- All eight ratings contribute to the total; leaving even one item blank makes that total invalid.
How is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale scored?
Epworth scoring adds eight item ratings from 0 to 3 for a total from 0 to 24. The owner's bands separate lower and higher normal daytime sleepiness from mild, moderate and severe ranges.
| Score band | Owner's label |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Lower normal daytime sleepiness |
| 6 to 10 | Higher normal daytime sleepiness |
| 11 to 12 | Mild excessive daytime sleepiness |
| 13 to 15 | Moderate |
| 16 to 24 | Severe |
A score is a screening result and not a diagnosis. The practice's clinical lead decides which cut point the practice uses and what staff do with a result.
Who owns the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and what does its licence say?
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is under copyright, and a licence is needed to use it whether or not a fee applies. Get that licence before building the scale into an online form.
The owner's licence terms bar changes to the wording. Electronic versions are made by arrangement with the owner, so the practice manager should agree the planned Intake Pro use with the owner before staff begin configuration.
Keep the approved wording and all eight items intact. Confirm the licence directly rather than treating a paper copy already used by the practice as permission for electronic reproduction.
How do you build the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in Intake Pro?
Build Epworth only after securing permission for electronic use from the owner. Staff can then reproduce the approved wording, require every item, configure scoring and test the scale before sending it to patients.
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Secure the licence and current wording
Contact the owner through its scale page. Obtain a licence for the planned electronic use and retain the approved, unchanged wording.
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Add a required matrix
Use a matrix in the form builder for the eight items sharing response choices. Mark every item required so a blank cannot produce an invalid total.
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Configure ratings and bands
With scored assessments, weight ratings 0 through 3, calculate the 0 to 24 total and enter the owner's five labelled bands.
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Obtain clinical review
Have the practice's clinical lead approve the cut point, labelled bands, result reviewer and staff actions before the form is published.
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Test totals and required fields
Enter known answers and hand-check totals around every band boundary. Attempt to skip each item and confirm the form requires a response.
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Publish the approved scale
Publish the unchanged, licensed wording after arithmetic and required-field tests pass. Any later edit creates a separate published version.
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Send within the intake workflow
Add Epworth to an intake packet, send a private link before the visit or offer it on a paired front-desk kiosk.
When does a practice send the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and who reviews it?
The clinical lead sets when the Epworth Sleepiness Scale belongs in intake and assigns its reviewer. The front-desk lead sends the licensed online form ahead of a visit or makes it available at check-in.
Intake Pro calculates the configured total and stores it with the signed response. It does not alert staff, interpret a score or provide clinical decision support, so the practice's own review schedule determines when an assigned person reads the result.
Staff can download the signed PDF and its retained evidence through signed records for the practice's chart process. For another consumption-focused screen with different build requirements, read the AUDIT-C guide.
The patient form templates hub compares scale licences, while medical intake forms covers surrounding new patient documents. The general intake forms guide explains packets and signatures.
Questions
Why must every Epworth Sleepiness Scale item be required?
One blank item makes the Epworth score invalid. Requiring all eight matrix rows prevents the online form from calculating a total from incomplete responses. Staff should still test every required-field path before publication.
When was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale revised?
Dr Murray Johns developed the scale in 1990 and revised it in 1997. The owner's current page supplies the scale wording, score bands and licence terms for practices planning electronic use.
Can staff change Epworth wording when moving it online?
No. Copyright bars changing the wording. The scale needs a licence whether or not a fee applies, and electronic versions require an arrangement with the owner before staff build the online form.
Does Intake Pro interpret an Epworth daytime sleepiness result?
No. Intake Pro calculates and retains the configured total and labels with the signed response. It does not interpret scores, alert staff or provide clinical decision support. The clinical lead assigns review and follow-up procedures.