Roth score index is measured by having the patient count from 1 to 30 in their native language, in a single breath, as rapidly as possible. The primary result of the Roth score is the duration of time and the highest number reached.
- Roth Score is a tool for quantifying the level of breathlessness, which is assumed to correlate to the level of hypoxia. It combines maximal count reached (starting from 1 to 30 in one’s native language) during a single exhalation and the time taken to reach the maximum count (the second score is called the “counting time”)
- study evidence showed that a counting time <8 seconds had a sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 71% for identifying a room-air pulse oximetry <95%
However a review states (2)
Do not use the Roth score to assess breathlessness over the phone.
- There are no validated tests for assessing breathlessness over the phone in an acute primary care setting
- Measuring a patient’s respiratory rate over the phone using the Roth Score does not provide an accurate assessment of hypoxia and may lead to false reassurance
- Experts recommend an overall clinical assessment, including questions about the nature and rate of change of the breathlessness
Reference:
On behalf of the Oxford COVID-19 Evidence Service Team Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences University of Oxford