• 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
SEM: not established
MDC: not established

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

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

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