EQ-5D Index Values Research Articles

RS2: USING SELF-ADMINISTERED DIRECT TTO QUESTIONS TO ELICIT UTILITY VALUES FOR ASTHMATIC PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT SEVERITY OF DISEASE

OBJECTIVES: To gain utility values for asthmatic patients, self-administered direct TTO questions may seem to be a simple option. This study examined reported TTO values by disease severity groups, and the relationship between other health status measures, and with age. METHODS: 228 consecutive adult outpatients and inpatients at four sites in Hungary participated in the study. Doctors had to report GINA severity group and lung function values. Patients had to fill in three QoL questionnaires and a direct TTO question that offered a choice between 20 years in current health or shorter length of life in perfect health. Statistical analysis applied F-statistics. RESULTS: Mean TTO values were 0.99, 0.96, 0.82, 0.73 in the four severity groups, respectively. These were higher than corresponding EQ-5Dindex results of 0.93, 0.76, 0.65, 0.52. Correlation coefficients between TTO values and EQ-5Dindex, EQ-5Dvas, SF-36(PCS), SF-36(MCS), SGRQ, and FEV1% were 0.40, 0.40, 0.34, 0.25, −0.36, and 0.36, respectively. Age explained 23% of differences in TTO values after controlling for asthma severity. Within severity groups 4 and 3, patients over 50 reported TTO values lower by 0.21 and 0.20 than those below this age. These differences were larger than corresponding differences in EQ-5D index values suggesting that direct TTO responses may incorporate different concepts of remaining life years of the older. Results were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Utility values gained from direct TTO questions can lead to higher scores than generic utility-based questionnaires, low correlation values with other measures, and to biases in patient groups of heterogeneous age.

Swedish population health-related quality of life results using the EQ-5D.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured on population level may be useful to guide policies for health. This study aims to describe the HRQoL; in EQ-5D dimensions, mean rating scale (RS) scores and mean EQ-5D index values, in the general population, by certain disease and socio-economic groups, in Stockholm County 1998. The EQ-5D self-classifier and a RS were included in the 1998 cross-sectional postal Stockholm County public health survey to a representative sample (n = 4950, 20-88 years), 63% response rate. Mean RS score ranged from 0.90 (20-29 years) to 0.69 (80-88 years), mean EQ-5D index value ranged from 0.89 (20-29 years) to 0.74 (80-88 years). For different diseases mean RS scores ranged from 0.80 (asthma) to 0.69 (angina pectoris), mean EQ-5D index values ranged from 0.79 (asthma) to 0.66 (low back pain). The mean health state scores (RS and EQ-5D index) were 0.06 lower in the unskilled manual group than in the higher non-manual group after controlling for age and sex (p < 0.0001). This difference was 0.03 after controlling also for different diseases (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, our results show that the HRQoL varies greatly between socio-economic and disease groups. Furthermore, after controlling for age, sex and disease, HRQoL is lower in manual than in non-manual groups.