It is an indirect way of assessing how difficult an intubation will be; this is more definitively scored using the Cormack–Lehane classification system, which describes what is actually seen using direct laryngoscopy during the intubation process itself.
This technique does not provide an immediate assessment of intubation difficulty; rather, it can be more accurately determined using the Cormack–Lehane classification system, which offers a direct visual observation of the laryngoscopic view during the procedure.