Validity and responsiveness of the EQ-5D in assessing and valuing health status in patients with anxiety disorders.
BACKGROUND
The EQ-5D is a generic questionnaire which generates a health profile as well as index scores for health-related quality of life that may be used in cost-utility analysis.


OBJECTIVE
To examine validity and responsiveness of the EQ-5D in patients with anxiety disorders.


METHODS
389 patients with anxiety disorders completed the EQ-5D at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Subjective measures of quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and psychopathology (BAI, BDI-II, BSQ, ACQ, MI) were used for comparison. Validity was analyzed by assessing associations between EQ-5D scores and related other scores. Responsiveness was analyzed by calculating effect sizes of differences in scores between baseline and follow-up for 3 groups indicating more, constant or less anxiety. Meaningful difference scores for shifting to less or more anxiety were derived by means of regression analysis.


RESULTS
88.4% of respondents reported problems in at least one of the EQ-5D dimension at baseline; the mean EQ VAS score was 63.8. The EQ-5D dimension most consistently associated with the measures used for comparison was 'anxiety/depression'. EQ VAS and EQ-5D index scores were highly correlated (|r|>0.5) with scores of the WHOQOL-BREF dimensions 'physical', 'mental' and 'overall' as well as BAI and BDI-II. The EQ-5D index tended to be the most responsive score. Standardized meaningful difference scores were not significantly different between EQ VAS, EQ-5D index and measures used for comparison.


CONCLUSIONS
The EQ-5D seems to be reasonably valid and moderately responsive in patients with anxiety disorders. The EQ-5D index may be suitable for calculating QALYs in economic evaluation of health care interventions for patients with anxiety disorders.


BACKGROUND
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15716049.
König
Hans-Helmut
HH
Department of Medical Sociology and Health Economics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr, 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. hans-helmut.koenig@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Born
Anja
A
Günther
Oliver
O
Matschinger
Herbert
H
Heinrich
Sven
S
Riedel-Heller
Steffi G
SG
Angermeyer
Matthias C
MC
Roick
Christiane
C
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards
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