Click here to view the IPSS, a seven-item questionnaire that asks patients to rate the occurrence of common LUTS.
Traditionally it is used to determine the severity of symptoms to help decide who needs medical or surgical intervention, but the NICE LUTS guideline – published in 2010– does not recommend its use in this context. But does recommend use of the score for obtaining a baseline of symptom severity in patients starting medical management of their LUTS. This allows repeat measurement to give an objective determination of the success or failure of treatment.
Scores are traditionally split into mild (0-7), moderate (8-19) or severe (20-35). Patients scoring 7 or less are unlikely to require medical intervention.
