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Evaluation of content on EQ-5D as compared to disease-specific utility measures

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Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this study was to appraise the extent of unique content on disease-specific preference-based measures (DSPMs) when contrasted with the EQ-5D using published studies and to inform whether EQ-5D could be inadequate as a utility measure in its content coverage for a given disease-specific application.

Methods

A structured search of published literature was performed using PubMed and EMBASE/Medline database from Jan 1, 1990 to Mar 31, 2011. Articles were eligible for inclusion if algorithms were developed to convert components from disease-specific measures into utility scores.

Results

Of 1,029 articles identified, 50 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The most frequent conditions where DSPMs were developed included cancer (12 studies), coronary artery disease (4 studies), osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (3 studies of each), obesity, and stroke (2 studies of each). Most studies involved mapping items or scores from disease-specific non-preference-based measures onto a preference-based measure of health such as the EQ-5D. A substantial number of DSPMs appeared to include unique content not covered by EQ-5D dimensions.

Conclusions

Several conditions were identified as potential areas where the richness of the EQ-5D descriptive system could be enhanced. It is yet unclear whether added dimension(s) would contribute unique explained variance to a utility score. Given the resources required to rigorously develop a utility measure, the need for such measures should be carefully vetted.

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Acknowledgments

Simon Pickard and Louise Longworth are members of the EuroQol Group. An earlier draft of this manuscript was presented as a discussion paper at the 27th EuroQol Plenary Meeting in Athens, Greece, in September, 2010.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research and Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood St., Room 164, M/C 886, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Fang-Ju Lin & A. Simon Pickard

  2. Health Economics Research Group, Brunel University, London, UK

    Louise Longworth

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  1. Fang-Ju Lin
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  2. Louise Longworth
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Correspondence to A. Simon Pickard.

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Lin, FJ., Longworth, L. & Pickard, A.S. Evaluation of content on EQ-5D as compared to disease-specific utility measures. Qual Life Res 22, 853–874 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0207-6

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