title: Generic and disease-specific estimates of quality of life in macular degeneration: mapping the MacDQoL onto the EQ-5D-3L.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The macular degeneration quality of life (MacDQoL) instrument is a validated condition-specific measure of quality of life in patients with macular degeneration. This paper presents the first mapping algorithm to predict EQ-5D from responses to the MacDQoL instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Responses to the MacDQoL and EQ-5D-3L instruments from 482 patients were collected from the IVAN multicentre trial of two alternative drug treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Regression specifications were estimated using OLS, censored least absolute deviation, Tobit and two-part models. Their predictive performance was assessed using mean squared error. An internal validation sample based on a random selection of 25 % of patients was used to assess the performance of the model estimated on the remaining 75 % of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A two-part model had the best predictive performance on the full sample. The covariates of this model include responses and weighted impact scores for all 23 condition-specific domains of the MacDQoL, and responses to a general MacDQoL quality of life question. The selected models were successful at predicting means and standard deviations of target populations, but prediction is weaker at the upper and lower extremes of the EQ-5D-3L distribution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mapping algorithms provide a means of predicting EQ-5D-3L index scores from MacDQoL scores, and could facilitate cost-effectiveness analyses when the latter but not the former are available to researchers. Further validation of the performance of the algorithms using external data would provide a means of establishing the robustness of the algorithms.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol, BS8 2PS, UK. padraig.dixon@bristol.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Padraig
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5285-409X
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Population Health, Health Economics Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dakin
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Population Health, Health Economics Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wordsworth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; EuroQoL EQ-5D; MacDQoL; Mapping algorithm