The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale

The Borg Score is a tool to measure an individual’s effort, exertion, breathlessness and fatigue during a physical activity. It is highly relevant for those working in health and social care. In simple terms, it provides a measure of how hard an individual feels their body is working, based on the physical sensations that the individual feels. For example, an increase in their heart rate; breathing rate; sweating, or muscle fatigue.

The scale is a numerical list against which an individual is asked to rate their exertion during a specific activity. The scaling ranges from ‘6’ to ‘20’ (rather than ‘0’ to ‘20’). This is because the score on the scale relate to a heart rate per minute in a healthy adult. For example, a score of 6 corresponds to a heart rate of 60 beats per minute and a score of 8 corresponds to a heart rate of 80 beats per minute. The scores of several individuals are combined give an indication of the intensity of an activity.

NAPPI physical skills have all undergone extensive assessment using Borg and other assessment tools. The NAPPI risk assessment documents were developed by an Independent Biomechanical Expert who used Borg scale results during the review as required every two years by the Restraint Reduction Network (RRN) Training Standards (2019).

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