It was introduced in 1991 by Dr Murray Johns of Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
[3] Certain questions in the scale were shown to be better predictors of specific sleep disorders, though further tests may be required to provide an accurate diagnosis.
[5] The Epworth Sleepiness Scale has been validated primarily in obstructive sleep apnea, though it has also shown success in detecting narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.
[3] It is used to measure excessive daytime sleepiness and is repeated after the administration of treatment (e.g., CPAP) to document improvement of symptoms.
[7] The Epworth Sleepiness Scale has been used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of other similar measurements of sleep quality.