Estimating Utility Values for Health States of DFU Patients Using EQ-5D-5L and cTTO.

Abstract

Health-state utility values of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) patients are necessary for clinical praxis and economic modeling. The purpose of this study was to estimate utility values in DFU patients using the EuroQol-5-dimension-5-level (EQ-5D-5L) and composite time trade-off (cTTO). The EQ-5D-5L and cTTO were used for estimating utility values. Data were collected from 228 patients referred to the largest governmental diabetes center in the South of Iran, Yazd province. When appropriate, independent sample t-test or analysis of variance test was used to test the difference in the utility values in each of the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Finally, the BetaMix was used to identify predictors of the utility values. The means of EQ-5D-5L and cTTO values were 0.55(SD 0.21) and 0.67(SD 0.23), respectively. Anxiety and pain were the most common problems reported by the patients. The difference between the mean EQ-5D-5L values was significant for age, grade of ulcer, number of comorbidities, and having complications. In addition, variables of gender, age, grade of ulcer, and having complications were significant predictors of the EQ-5D-5L. The difference between the mean cTTO values was significant for age, employment status, grade of ulcer, number of comorbidities, and having complications. Moreover, variables of gender, age, grade of ulcer, number of comorbidities, and developing complications were significant predictors of cTTO. The current study provided estimates of utility values for DFU patients for clinical praxis and economic modeling. These estimates, similar to utilities reported in other studies, were low. Identifying strategies to decrease anxiety/depression and pain in patients is important to improve the utility values.