Eight short items on how COPD affects daily life, each scored 0 to 5, for a total of 0 to 40. The CAT is quick enough for every visit and is part of how COPD is classified, which makes it a natural eligibility and outcome measure.
Free sandbox · No credit card · 21 CFR Part 11 aligned
Week 24 total
17 / 40
At a glance
Licensing
Free, with conditionsRights holder: GSKGSK owns the copyright. The CAT is free for clinicians, academics and non-profits under its terms of use, distributed through Mapi Research Trust; clinical trials and other extended use need a signed agreement with GSK.
In Capture: Capture doesn't supply this instrument or a licence for it. Once you have both, enter the official wording yourself, then switch on "Licence required" in the questionnaire's settings and record the licence number and expiry. Staff see a "copyright approval pending" watermark until you do, and Capture stops new data collection on the questionnaire after the recorded expiry date.
CAT terms of useCAT, COPD Assessment Test and the CAT logo are trademarks of the GSK group of companies. Instrument names belong to their rights holders, and Capture is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Terms change, so confirm them with the rights holder before your study starts. This is general information, not legal advice.
In trials
COPD trials measure several things at once: lung function by spirometry, exacerbations, health status and symptoms. The CAT covers health status in under two minutes, which is why it is so often collected at every visit. It is also used at screening, where a minimum CAT score can define a symptomatic population for the trial.
The more detailed St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) remains a common primary health status endpoint in registration trials, with the CAT as a shorter secondary. If you use both, schedule them at the same visits so they can be compared.
Each CAT item sits between two statements, one at each end of the scale, and the participant chooses the number that describes them. On a phone, that works best as a 0 to 5 scale with both statements shown as anchors, one item per screen.
COPD Assessment Test · Week 24
Item 4 of 8 · approved version
Breathlessness walking up a hill or one flight of stairs
CAT04Structure
| Item | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cough |
| 2 | Phlegm (mucus) in the chest |
| 3 | Chest tightness |
| 4 | Breathlessness on hills or stairs |
| 5 | Limitation of activities at home |
| 6 | Confidence leaving home |
| 7 | Sleep |
| 8 | Energy |
The CAT is copyrighted by its developer. It is widely available for use, but check the current terms and use the official wording and translations.
In Capture
The CAT can be completed from a secure link at home before the visit or on a clinic tablet in the waiting room. Each item is stored as a coded 0 to 5 value with its label, all eight are required, and the visit window keeps collection on schedule.
How much pain do you feel right now?
How much pain do you feel right now?
NoneMildModerateSevereCopy the template and preview it on a phone and a tablet.
Context
CAT scores rise sharply during an exacerbation and recover over the following weeks. A visit that happens to fall a few days after an exacerbation can therefore look like a treatment failure. Record exacerbations on their own form with onset and resolution dates, and decide in the analysis plan whether CAT assessments taken during or shortly after an exacerbation are included, excluded or analysed separately.
The same applies to screening. A participant recovering from a recent exacerbation may score high enough to qualify but settle below the threshold once stable. Many protocols require a stable period before screening assessments for this reason.
Before go-live
Current terms of use and official wording.
Minimum CAT score written into the eligibility form if used.
Onset and resolution dates for interpreting scores.
A total needs all eight answers.
Change from baseline, responder at 2 points, or band.
For every language used.
About two minutes.
Yes. It can be completed on the participant's phone before a visit or on a clinic device at the visit.
Eight items are each scored 0 to 5 and summed for a total of 0 to 40. Higher scores mean greater impact of COPD.
Totals of 21 to 30 are commonly described as high impact and above 30 as very high impact.
Widely followed COPD strategy documents use 10 or more to identify patients with more symptoms.
About 2 points is commonly cited.
No. The SGRQ is a longer health status questionnaire. The CAT is shorter and often used alongside it.
Items are stored as coded values with labels, and totals are derived from them in analysis.
Eight items, two minutes, clean coded data. Free sandbox.