How can EQ-5D be used

EQ-5D can be used in clinical trials, in observational studies, in population health surveys, in routine outcome measurement and many other types of studies where a generic measure of health status is useful.

In clinical trials: Treatment effects can be assessed by measuring health status with EQ-5D at different points in time, e.g. before and after treatment, and then investigating the gains (or losses) in reported health status. EQ-5D index values are used in the estimation of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains in economic evaluations of healthcare interventions. EQ-5D profile and EQ VAS data provide additional evidence on relative effectiveness of healthcare interventions .

In observational studies: EQ-5D can be used, for example, to monitor changes in self-reported health status through time in a given patient group, or in response to treatment.

In population health surveys: Data collected with EQ-5D can be used to assess and compare health status between groups of patients, between patients and the general population, or between the general populations of different countries.

Routine outcome measurement: Longitudinal data collected with EQ-5D can be used at the individual level to monitor a patient’s health status over time, at the institutional (e.g. hospital) level to monitor the institute’s performance as a health care provider, or at the national level to monitor the population’s health over time.

Instructions on how to fill in EQ-5D and suggestions on how to report results obtained with EQ-5D can be found in the User Guides and a comprehensive methods guide on how to analyse and report EQ-5D data is also now available.

(Version 17NOV2021)