Nasal Obstruction Symptoms Evaluation (NOSE) scale

The NOSE Scale asks patients the following question for the below conditions:

Over the past 1 month, how much of a problem were the following conditions for you, using a 5-point Likert scale (0 – Not a Problem; 1 – Very Mild Problem; 2 – Moderate Problem; 3 – Fairly Bad Problem; 4 – Severe Problem)?

The conditions:

  • Nasal congestion of stuffiness
  • Nasal blockage or obstruction
  • Trouble breathing through my nose
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Unable to get enough air through my nose during exercise or exertion

Score of 0-20 was obtained and multiplied by 5 to obtain a score from 0-100. 

Stewart  MG, Witsell  DL, Smith TL, Weaver  EM, Yueh B, Hannley MT.  Development and validation of the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale.  Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130(2):157-163.

Contributor: Alex Goel, MD