Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2007 Jun 14:5:33.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-5-33.

Performance of the EQ-5D and the EQ-5D+C in elderly patients with cognitive impairments

Claire A G Wolfs  1 , Carmen D Dirksen, Alfons Kessels, Daniëlle C M Willems, Frans R J Verhey, Johan L Severens
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Performance of the EQ-5D and the EQ-5D+C in elderly patients with cognitive impairments

Claire A G Wolfs et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: The EQ-5D is a reliable tool for measuring Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). However, concern has been expressed that it may ignore elements of HRQoL, particularly cognition. In response to this concern, the EQ-5D has been extended with a cognitive dimension (EQ-5D+C). The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the EQ-5D and the EQ-5D+C in elderly patients with cognitive impairments by assessing their construct validity and responsiveness.

Methods: Data from the MEDICIE study (n = 196) were used, in which all questionnaires were rated by proxies.

Results: Regarding construct validity, we found similar correlations between the EQ-5D and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and between the EQ-5D+C and the MMSE. Furthermore, both the EQ-5D and the EQ-5D+C were responsive to changes in the MMSE, with the EQ-5D performing slightly better.

Conclusion: We conclude that the EQ-5D performs well for evaluating HRQoL in a population with cognitive impairments. Based on the results of this explorative study, it does not seem necessary to adjust the current classification system by adding a cognitive dimension. However, in order to compare both instruments regarding utility values, it is necessary to develop a new scoring algorithm for the EQ-5D+C by conducting a general population study. Considering the explorative nature of this study, it is recommended that more aspects of the validity of both the EQ-5D and the EQ-5D+C are explored in patients with cognitive impairments using a more tailored study design.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Holland R, Smith RD, Harvey I, Swift L, Lenaghan E. Assessing quality of life in the elderly: a direct comparison of the EQ-5D and AQoL. Health Econ. 2004;13:793–805. - PubMed
    1. van Velden ME, Severens JL, Novak A. Economic evaluations of healthcare programmes and decision making: the influence of economic evaluations on different healthcare decision-making levels. Pharmacoeconomics. 2005;23:1075–1082. - PubMed
    1. Brooks R. EuroQol: the current state of play. Health Policy. 1996;37:53–72. - PubMed
    1. EuroQol–a new facility for the measurement of health-related quality of life. The EuroQol Group. Health Policy. 1990;16:199–208. - PubMed
    1. Brazier J, Roberts J, Deverill M. The estimation of a preference-based measure of health from the SF-36. Journal of Health Economics. 2002;21:271–292. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms