Validity and reliability of the EQ-5D self-report questionnaire in Chinese-speaking patients with rheumatic diseases in Singapore.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the psychometric properties of a Singaporean Chinese version of the EQ-5D, a health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument.


METHODS
Consecutive outpatients with rheumatic diseases seen for routine follow-up consultations at the National University Hospital, Singapore were interviewed twice within 2 weeks using a standardised questionnaire containing the EQ-5D, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), the Learned Helplessness Subscale, a pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and assessing demographic and psychosocial characteristics. To assess the validity of the EQ-5D, 13 hypotheses relating the EQ-5D self-classifier (5 dimensions) or visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) to SF-36 scores or other variables were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis or Spearman's correlation coefficient. Test-retest reliability was assessed using Cohen's kappa.


RESULTS
Forty-eight subjects were studied (osteoarthritis: 16; rheumatoid arthritis: 22; systemic lupus erythematosus: 8; spondyloarthropathy: 2; female: 93.8%; mean age: 56.4 years). Seven of 13 a-priori hypotheses relating EQ-5D to external variables were fulfilled, supporting the validity of the EQ-5D. For example, subjects reporting moderate or extreme problems for EQ-5D dimensions generally had lower median SF-36 scores than those without such problems. Cohen's kappa for test-retest reliability of the self-classifier ranged from 0.41 to 1.00 (n = 42; median interval: 7 days, interquartile range: 7 to 11 days).


CONCLUSIONS
The Singaporean Chinese EQ-5D self-classifier appears to be a valid measure of HRQoL in Singaporeans with rheumatic diseases; however, the reliability of the EQ-VAS requires further investigation. These data provide a basis for further studies of the Singaporean Chinese EQ-5D.
Luo
N
N
Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore (NUS).
Chew
L H
LH
Fong
K Y
KY
Koh
D R
DR
Ng
S C
SC
Yoon
K H
KH
Vasoo
S
S
Li
S C
SC
Thumboo
J
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D044466:Asian People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome