Value Sets for EQ-5D-5L: A Compendium, Comparative Review & User Guide

The EQ-5D-5L is one of the most widely used health related quality of life questionnaires around the world, with applications in clinical trials, population health surveys and routine outcomes measurement. In addition to providing a concise, generic way of describing health, the EQ-5D-5L facilitates the valuation of health and health improvements through its value sets, which play a pivotal role in Health Technology Assessment across the world. Value sets for the EQ-5D-5L have been produced in a wide range of countries and regions, using a standardised international protocol developed by the EuroQol Group. This book brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive inventory of these value sets and a comparative review of their characteristics. 

In addition to the structured summaries of each value set, the book providesclear guidance to users and researchers on how to choose which value set to use, for what purpose. It also provides information about the methods that were used to produce these values, how these methods have been refined and how they may evolve in future. 

 The book is the culmination of a substantial programme of work internationally. By collating these value sets into a single volume, the book aims to provide an easy-to-use resource which is likely to become a key reference source for EQ-5D-5L users and researchers.   

Prof. Nancy Devlin is Professor of Health Economics at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Senior Visiting Fellow at the Office of Health Economics, London. She was 2019-2020 President of ISPOR and a past president of the EuroQol Group. Her principal areas of research are the measurement and valuation of health related quality of life; priority setting in health care; and the cost effectiveness thresholds used in making judgements about value for money in health care. Her previous books include Methods for Analysing and Reporting EQ-5D Data (with Bas Janssen and David Parkin), Using Patient Reported Outcomes to Improve Health Care (with John Appleby and David Parkin) and Economic Analysis in Health Care (with Stephen Morris, David Parkin and Anne Spencer). She was also a co-author (with Agota Szende and Mark Oppe) of the book on EQ-5D-3L values, EQ-5D Valuation Sets: An Inventory, Comparative Review and User Guide. Nancy contributed to methodological work underpinning the EQ-VT protocol and to the development of EQ-5D-5L value sets in Mexico, Ireland and England.

Bram Roudijk, PhD works as a Scientist at the business office of the EuroQol Research Foundation in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His main research interests are valuation of health related quality of life, modelling health related quality of life valuation data and differences in preferences for health related quality of life between countries and cultures. Bram is involved in supporting valuation studies for the EQ-5D family of instruments, including the EQ-5D-5L. Furthermore, Bram is a member of EuroQol’s Valuation Working Group.

Dr. Kristina Ludwig works as a senior scientist at the department of health economics and health care management at Bielefeld University, Germany, and as a freelance senior scientist for the business office of the EuroQol Research Foundation in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Her main research areas arethe measurement and valuation of health-related quality of life in the context of economic evaluation; and measuring patient preferences. During her position at the EuroQol business office she provided support to various valuation studies for the EQ-5D-5L. She contributed methodological work for the refinement of the EQ-VT protocol and was significantly involved in the development of the value sets for the EQ-5D instruments, including EQ-5D-5L in Germany.