Erectile dysfunction screen. Free to use.
IIEF-5 / SHIM (International Index of Erectile Function — 5-item / Sexual Health Inventory for Men) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess erectile dysfunction screen. The instrument contains 5 items.
Source / attribution: Rosen RC et al. Int J Impot Res. 1999;11(6):319-326.
The instrument's primary construct — erectile dysfunction screen — is operationalized through a fixed set of items, each with a defined response format. This standardisation is what allows IIEF-5 / SHIM scores to be compared meaningfully across clinicians, sites, and studies.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, IIEF-5 / SHIM is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 5 items below to see your IIEF-5 / SHIM score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 5-point scale (1–5). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
IIEF-5 / SHIM uses simple summation: each item's selected response is converted to a numeric value, and the values are added to produce a total score. Reverse-scored items are inverted before summation.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 5–7 | Severe ED | Severe erectile dysfunction. |
| 8–11 | Moderate ED | Moderate erectile dysfunction. |
| 12–16 | Mild–moderate ED | Mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction. |
| 17–21 | Mild ED | Mild erectile dysfunction. |
| 22–25 | No ED | No erectile dysfunction. |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Over the past 6 months, how do you rate your confidence that you could get and keep an erection? | Low | 2 |
| 2 | When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were they hard enough for penetration? | A few times | 2 |
| 3 | During intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after penetration? | A few times | 2 |
| 4 | During intercourse, how difficult was it to maintain your erection to completion? | Very difficult | 2 |
| 5 | When you attempted intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you? | A few times | 2 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 10 falls between 8 and 11 → Moderate ED
Moderate ED. Moderate erectile dysfunction.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. IIEF-5 / SHIM supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If IIEF-5 / SHIM doesn't fit your context, related instruments in urology include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPSS | Lower-urinary-tract symptoms in men | 7 | — |
| ODI | Self-reported low-back-pain functional disability | 10 | — |
| NDI | Self-reported neck-pain functional disability | 10 | — |
| Oxford Knee Score | Pain and function after total knee replacement | 12 | — |
| Oxford Hip Score | Pain and function after total hip replacement | 12 | — |
| LEFS | Function with lower-extremity musculoskeletal disorders | 20 | — |
| DLQI | Skin-disease impact on health-related quality of life | 10 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| POEM | Atopic eczema severity over the past week | 7 | — |
IIEF-5 / SHIM (International Index of Erectile Function — 5-item / Sexual Health Inventory for Men) is a validated instrument that assesses erectile dysfunction screen. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 5 items are summed to produce a total score.
IIEF-5 / SHIM contains 5 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 5 to 25, grouped into 5 interpretation bands from ‘Severe ED’ up to ‘No ED’.
On the IIEF-5 / SHIM (total score 5–25), scores of 22–25 fall in the ‘No ED’ band — interpreted as: No erectile dysfunction. The full ladder is: 5–7 — Severe ED: Severe erectile dysfunction.; 8–11 — Moderate ED: Moderate erectile dysfunction.; 12–16 — Mild–moderate ED: Mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction.; 17–21 — Mild ED: Mild erectile dysfunction.; 22–25 — No ED: No erectile dysfunction. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 5–7 fall in the ‘Severe ED’ band: Severe erectile dysfunction. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
Yes — IIEF-5 / SHIM is in the public domain and free for clinical, educational, and research use without permission. You can use this calculator and the scale itself freely; if you publish results or reproduce the scale, cite the original source paper.
Rosen RC et al. Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Int J Impot Res. 1999;11(6):319-326. This is the original publication for the IIEF-5 / SHIM — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. IIEF-5 / SHIM is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of erectile dysfunction screen — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
IIEF-5 / SHIM is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: