title: Quality of life profile and psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L in HIV/AIDS patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQOL), its associated factors, and examined measurement properties of the EuroQol - 5 Dimensions - 5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) in HIV/AIDS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional multi-site survey was conducted in 1016 patients (age: 35.4 ± 7.0 years; 63.8% male) in three epicenters of Vietnam. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminative validity of the EQ-5D-5L and a visual analogue scale (VAS) were evaluated. Tobit censored regression models were used to identify predictors of HRQOL in HIV/AIDS patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean EQ-5D-5L single index and VAS were 0.65 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.63; 0.67) and 70.3 (95% CI = 69.2; 71.5). Cronbach's alpha of five dimensions was 0.85. EQ-5D-5L has a good convergent validity with VAS (0.73). It discriminated patients at different HIV/AIDS stages, duration of ART, and CD4 cell count. Predictors of poorer HRQOL included being female, lower education level, unemployment, alcohol and drug use, CD4<200 cells/mL, and advanced HIV/AIDS stages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EQ-5D-5L has good measurement properties in HIV/AIDS patients and holds potentials for monitoring ART outcomes. Integration of HRQOL measurement using EQ-5D-5L in HIV/AIDS clinical practice could be helpful for economic evaluation of HIV/AIDS interventions.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada. bach@hmu.edu.vn
authors.forename: Bach Xuan
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Arto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohinmaa
authors.forename: Long Thanh
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014744:Vietnam