BackgroundExisting patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) use a variety of recall periods and response scales to assess CRS symptom burden. Global perspectives of CRS patients regarding optimal recall periods and response scales for CRS PROMs are unknown.MethodsThis was a multi‐center, cross‐sectional study recruiting 461 CRS patients from sites across the United States, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, and Austria. Participants chose which CRS symptom recall period (1 day, 2 weeks, 1 month, >1 month) was most reflective of their current disease state and upon which to best base treatment recommendations (including surgery). Participants also chose which of six response scales (one visual analogue scale and five Likert scales ranging from four to eight items) was easiest to use, understand, and preferred.ResultsA plurality of participants (40.0%) felt their CRS symptoms’ current state was best reflected by a 1‐month recall period. However, most patients (56.9%) preferred treatment recommendations to be determined by symptoms experienced over a >1 month period. The four‐ and five‐item Likert scales were the easiest to understand (26.0% and 25.4%, respectively) and use (23.4% and 26.7%, respectively). The five‐item (26.4% rating it most preferred and 70.9% rating it preferred) and four‐item Likert (22.3% rating it most preferred and 56.4% rating it preferred) response scales were most preferred.ConclusionFuture PROMs for CRS should consider assessment of symptoms over a 1‐month period and use a four‐ or five‐item Likert response scale to reflect global patient preferences. These findings also inform interpretation of current CRS PROMs.