• The IIEF-5 scale is used to assess patients with erectile dysfunction to determine the extent of the erectile function in patients.
  • The full-scale 15-item version has five domains: erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall sexual satisfaction.
  • The shortened 5-item version is on a scale of 5 to 25:
    • 22-25: No erectile dysfunction
    • 17-21: Mild erectile dysfunction
    • 12-16: Mild to moderate erectile dysfunction
    • 8-11: Moderate erectile dysfunction
    • 5-7: Severe erectile dysfunction

Clinical Considerations

The IIEF-5 can be utilized as part of the evaluation of erectile dysfunction.

ICF Domain

Body Functions ▶ Genitourinary and Reproductive

Administration

  • Can be interview-administered or self-reported
  • Administration time is less than 5 minutes

Number of Items

5

Equipment

N/A

Scoring

  • The index ranges from 5 to 25.
  • Each item is scored from 1 (almost never/never) to 5 (almost always/always).

Languages

English

Training Required

None

Availability

Can be found in Table 2 of the following article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10637462/

# of studies reporting psychometric properties: 3

Interpretability

MCID: not established in SCI
SEM: not established in SCI
MDC: not established in SCI

Typical Values

  • Mean (SD) total score of patients with SCI: 5.3 (4.1)

(Akman et al. 2015; n=47; mean age of subjects (range): 35.2 (20-62) years; 59.6% lesion above T10, 31.9% lesion between T11 and T12, 8.5% lesion at Cauda Equina)

Reliability

Not established in SCI.

Validity

High correlation between true and predicted grade of ED severity:

  • Spearman’s correlation = 0.75-0.79

(Cappelleri et al. 1999; n=1035; mean age (SD): 55.75 (10.36))
(Rosen et al. 2000; n=1036; mean age (SD): 55.75 (10.36))

Responsiveness

No values were reported for the responsiveness of the IIEF-5 for the SCI population.

Floor/Ceiling Effect

No values were reported for the presence of floor/ceiling effects in the IIEF-5 for the SCI population.

Reviewers

Dr. Carlos L. Cano-Herrera

Date Last Updated

31 December 2024

Akman RY, Coşkun Çelik E, Karataş M. Sexuality and sexual dysfunction in spinal cord-injured men in Turkey. Turk J Med Sci. 2015;45(4):758-61.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26422842

Cappelleri JC, Rosen RC, Smith MD, Mishra A, Osterloh IH. Diagnostic evaluation of the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function. Urology. 1999;54(2):346-51.
https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(99)00099-0/fulltext

Rosen RC, Cappelleri JC. The sexual health inventory for men (IIEF-5): reply to Vroege. Int J Impot Res. 2000;12(6):342-3.
https://www.nature.com/articles/3900615

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