Psychological assessment of respiratory patients often necessitates an understanding of their attitudes towards respiratory disease and hospitalization. The Respiratory Illness Opinion Survey (RIOS) is a 78 item questionnaire, which explores six attitude dimensions regarding respiratory illness and hospitalization, namely: 1) Optimism; 2) Specific Internal Awareness; 3) External Control; 4) Negative Staff Regard; 5) Psychological Stigma; and 6) Authoritarian Attitudes. However, as the current form of RIOS presents some limitations with regard to its length and complexity, we decided to review and shorten it with the aim of facilitating administration. Eighty eight hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (mean age 59 yrs) completed the RIOS. Factor analyses were carried out to identify the principal components, and to verify psychometric validity. Results indicate that the RIOS can be used after being reduced to 31 items, without substantially altering its original factorial structure.