EQ-5D is the name of the instrument and is not an acronym. EQ-5D is the correct term to use in print or verbally.

To obtain a copy of the instrument, please complete the EQ-5D registration form. During the registration process you can select the countries/regions in which you intend to collect EQ-5D data, the languages that you will need and the mode(s) of administration.

The EuroQol Office will then contact you by e-mail and inform you about the terms and conditions which apply if you decide to use the EQ-5D, including licensing fees (if applicable). Please allow approximately 5 working days to receive this reply.

According to the EQ-5D-Y-3L user guide the age range for the self-complete version is 8 to 15 years. For children aged 4-7, the proxy version can be used.

Please see this page on our website on modes of administration.

EQ-5D-Y-3L is designed for self-completion by children and adolescents aged 8-15 years. Proxy versions, for completion by observers, are also available.

Proxy EQ-5D versions are available for use when patients are cognitively or physically incapable of reporting on their health-related quality of life, for instance because of young age, severe intellectual disability or mental health problems. Two proxy versions are currently available where a caregiver who knows the child or adolescent well (for example, a parent, physician or nurse) is asked to complete EQ-5D as follows:

• EQ-5D-Y-3L Proxy version 1: The caregiver (the proxy) is asked to rate the child’s/adolescent’s health-related quality of life according to their (the proxy’s) own opinion.
• EQ-5D-Y-3L Proxy version 2: The caregiver (the proxy) is asked to rate how he/she (the proxy) thinks the child/adolescent would rate his/her own health-related quality of life, if the child/adolescent were able to communicate it.

This depends on the age range. Please see the EQ-5D-Y-3L user guide.

Self-reported health status captured by EQ-5D-Y-3L relates to the respondent’s situation at the time of completion. No attempt is made to summarize the recalled health status over the preceding days or weeks, although EQ-5D-3L has been tested in recall mode. An early decision taken by the EuroQol Group determined that health status measurement ought to apply to the respondent’s immediate situation – hence the focus on ‘your health today’.

Without the prior written consent of the EuroQol Office, you are not permitted to alter, amend or convert the EQ-5D-Y-3L and related proprietary materials. This includes changing the time frame.

If you have any plans to conduct a scientific study investigating a modification of EQ-5D please contact the EuroQol Office.

At present, it is not possible to calculate a single index value for the EQ-5DY. A value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L is not yet available. It is not recommended to use the 3L value set as proxy value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L. The EuroQol Group is working on a special value set for the EQ-5D-Y at the moment.

Please note that without the prior written consent of the EuroQol Office, you are not permitted to alter, amend or convert the EQ-5D-Y-3L and related proprietary materials.

We do not advise using only part of the questionnaire. EQ-5D-Y-3L is a two-part instrument. If you only use one part, you cannot claim to have used EQ-5D-Y-3L in your publications.

Without the prior written consent of the EuroQol Office, you are not permitted to alter, amend or convert the EQ-5D-Y-3L and related proprietary materials.

If you have any plans to conduct a scientific study investigating a modification of EQ-5D please contact the EuroQol Office.

The descriptive system section of the EQ-5D questionnaire produces a 5-digit health state profile that represents the level of reported problems on each of the five dimensions of health, e.g. EQ-5D-Y-3L health state 11223 indicates no problems with mobility and looking after myself, some problems doing usual activities, having some pain or discomfort and feeling very worried, sad or unhappy. Please note that this is just a ‘shorthand’ way of describing an EQ-5D health state; the numbers are simply code for the level in each dimension and have no arithmetic properties whatsoever. Therefore, they should not, for example, be added to give an overall score.

Please contact the EuroQol office.

Yes, you are free to publish your results. If you would like to reproduce the EQ-5D questionnaire in your publication, please contact the EuroQol Office.

When publishing results obtained with the EQ-5D-Y-3L, the following key references can be used:

• Wille N, Badia X, Bonsel G, Burstrom K, Cavrini G, Devlin N, Egmar AC, Greiner W, Gusi N, Herdman M, Jelsma J. Development of the EQ-5D-Y-3L: a child-friendly version of the EQ-5D. Qual Life Res 2010 Aug;19(6):875-886.
• Ravens-Sieberer U, Wille N, Badia X, Bonsel G, Burstrom K, Cavrini G, Devlin N, Egmar AC, Gusi N, Herdman M, J. Feasibility, reliability, and validity of the EQ-5D-Y-3L: results from a multinational study. Qual Life Res 2010 Aug;19(6):887-897.

A list of the value for every possible EQ-5D profile within a given descriptive system. For example, a value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L shows a value for each of the 243 states that are described by it. These values are usually calculated using an algorithm that assigns a score to each level in each dimension, sometimes including adjustments for interactions between the dimensions.

As value sets represent the average values of a sample of people, for example the general public of a particular country, it is important to state which value set is being used.

Value sets are also sometimes referred to as ‘tariffs’.

EQ-5D value sets are created by conducting a valuation study. In an EQ-5D valuation study, respondents (often members of the general public) are asked to indicate how good or bad some of the EQ-5D health states are. The answers are then combined into a statistical model, with which the value set is created.

An international valuation protocol for EQ-5D-Y-3L is now available and a number of value sets are in development around the world. See here for the currently published EQ-5D-Y-3L value sets. 

The time trade-off (TTO), visual analogue scale (VAS) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) value sets differ in the technique used to elicit the values for the models.

In the TTO task, respondents are asked to imagine they live in a certain suboptimal health state for 10 years and then to specify the amount of time they would be willing to give up to live in full health instead. For example, someone might consider that 8 years in full health is equivalent to 10 years in the suboptimal health state.

The VAS technique asks people to indicate where they think a health state should be positioned on a vertical thermometer-like scale ranging from best imaginable health to worst imaginable health.

The DCE asks people to choose between two (or more) health states of varying severity across the five EQ-5D health domains (e.g. which is better, state A [32233] or state B [32321]?).

There has been much discussion about the theoretical and empirical properties of these three methods, and whether it is justified to calculate QALYs using values based on these methods, although all three techniques have been used to calculate QALYs. The international valuation protocol for deriving EQ-5D-Y-3L value sets uses online DCE to define the relative importance of dimensions/levels and face-to-face composite TTO (cTTO) to anchor the DCE values at 1 (full health) and 0 (dead). cTTO is a TTO variant that adopts conventional TTO for the valuation of better than dead states and lead time TTO for the valuation of worse than dead states.

Please note that this is a large subject area and the brief answer provided above includes minimal details. For further information, the reader is encouraged to review the literature.

Until recently, no value sets were available for EQ-5D-Y-3L because research showed that the approach used to value EQ-5D-3L health states for use in adult populations was not appropriate when valuing EQ-5D-Y-3L health states for use in economic evaluations of healthcare interventions for paediatric-age populations. Evidence has showed that health states are valued differently when used to describe an adult or a child, that valuation techniques suitable for valuing ‘adult’ health states may be unsuitable for valuing ‘youth’ health states, and that health state values are affected by the wording used in the instrument (EQ-5D-Y-3L vs EQ-5D-3L). Consequently, EQ-5D-3L value sets should not be used to assign values to EQ-5D-Y-3L health states.

If you have already seen the EQ-5D-Y-3L and/or have decided to go ahead and use it, please register your study/project/trial first, by completing the EQ-5D registration form. The EuroQol Office will then contact you by e-mail and inform you about the terms and conditions which apply if you decide to use the EQ-5D, including licensing fees (if applicable). Please allow approximately 5 working days to receive this reply.

The EuroQol Office team will determine if a license agreement needs to be drawn up and whether a license fee is applicable, in accordance with our EQ-5D User License Policy (see here).

EQ-5D paper versions will be provided as a Word document. For electronic versions, an Excel sheet will be provided with the EQ-5D labels, together with a document describing the EQ-5D electronic representation standards

Yes, the EQ-5D is subject to copyright protection. Anyone interested in using the instrument should first register with EuroQol, as you can only obtain EQ-5D by completing the EQ-5D Registration Form. We can then provide you with the requested EQ-5D versions, languages and modes of administration you require. Please note, you are not obliged to purchase the EQ-5D by registering.

Licensing fees are determined by the EuroQol Office based on the user information provided in the registration form. If applicable, the size of the license fee depends on the type of study, funding source, sample size and number of requested EQ-5D versions and languages. You are not obliged to purchase the EQ-5D by registering.

EuroQol does not charge a license fee for non-commercial uses of EQ-5D. After registering to use the instrument, EQ-5D can be used free of charge for academic, educational, public health, and other non-commercial purposes. A small fee may be charged for screen shot review if data is collected digitally on a platform other than REDCAP®, LIMESURVEY®, QUALTRICS® or CASTOR EDC®.

Yes. Please note that without the prior written consent of the EuroQol Office, you are not permitted to use, reproduce, alter, amend, convert, translate, publish or make available in whatever way (digital, hard-copy etc.) the EQ-5D-Y-3L and related proprietary materials.

The EuroQol Research Foundation stresses that any and all copyrights in the EQ-5D, its (digital) representations, and its translations are exclusively vested in the EuroQol Research Foundation. EQ-5D™ is a trade mark of the EuroQol Research Foundation.

No, without the prior written consent of the EuroQol Office, you are not permitted to i.e. use, reproduce, alter, amend, convert, translate, publish or make available in whatever way (digital, hard-copy etc.) the EQ-5D and related proprietary materials. Please contact the EuroQol Office if you would like to reproduce EQ-5D.