Objective To translate the English version of Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis Severity Instrument ( IADS ) into Chinese and to test its reliability and validity. Methods The IADS was introduced and localized with the permission by the author. A total of 60 patients who had IAD in the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University from June to August 2012 were investigated. The internal consistency reliability, inter-rater reliability and content validity were used to evaluate the scale. Results The reliability and validity of IAD severity scale showed that Cronbach′α coefficient was 0.72;inter- rater correlation coefficient was 0.82, P<0.01;content validity ratio was 0.91. Conclusions The Chinese version of IADS was proved to be reliable and valid. It can be used to identify IAD and its severity and provide the basis for clinical intervention and dynamic assessment.