Gastroenterology
General medicine
The Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS) classifies stools into seven types ranging from very hard, fragmented forms to entirely liquid stools. It allows patients and healthcare professionals to share a standardized description of bowel habits, rather than subjective terms such as "normal" or "soft".
Number of questions
7 categories
Approximate duration
< 1 minute
Population
Adults
Modality
visual self-assessment
Terms of contract
Patients choose the type that most closely matches the appearance of their stool, ideally recorded immediately after passing it and without trying to adjust their answer. Clarify the purpose of the record: the usual type during a one-off consultation or repeated observations in a bowel habit diary. Use the official licensed version; a separate paediatric scale is available.
Score interpretationBristol Stool Form Scale
No sum: the result is the chosen type, from type 1 to type 7.
Total score
First reading
Types 1–2: associated with constipation; types 6–7: associated with diarrhoea; intermediate types: closer to normal, formed stools.
The assessment remains visual and does not, on its own, provide information on frequency, pain, blood, or other digestive symptoms.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Bristol type diagnose a digestive disease?
Do you need to enter each saddle?
What are its limitations?
Sources and references
Rome Foundation
Rome Foundation — questionnaires / BSFSS
In practice
Full name
Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS)
Method
visual self-assessment
Language
French
Authors
Rome Foundation
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