In this study we developed self-administered versions of modified baseline and transition dyspnea indexes and compared the scores obtained by this method with the mean value obtained by two trained interviewers. Twenty-five patients (14 males/11 females) with chronic obstructive disease who had a chief complaint of "breathlessness" were tested. Age was 66+/-11 years; forced expiratory volume in one second was 48+/-23% predicted. The baseline total scores were 5.0+/-1.8 for the interviewers and 5.4+/-2.0 for the self-administered method. For the baseline dyspnea scores the correlations were 0.83 (p<0.0001) between self-administration and the mean value of two interviewers and 0.75 (p<0.0001) between the two interviewers. The transition total scores, obtained an average of 102 days (range, 7-377 days) later, were - 0.1+/-3.0 for the interviewers and - 0.4+/-3.0 for the self-administered method. For the transition dyspnea scores the correlations were 0.94 (p<0.0001) between self-administration and the mean value of two interviewers and 0.83 (p<0.0001) between the two interviewers. The self-administered dyspnea scores had similar correlations with measures of lung function as did the interview dyspnea scores. We conclude that self-administered versions of the modified baseline and transition dyspnea indexes provide comparable scores as those obtained by trained and experienced interviewers. The advantages of the self-administered versions include standardized methodology and computerized scoring.