An assessment of the discriminative ability of the EQ-5Dindex, SF-6D, and EQ VAS, using sociodemographic factors and clinical conditions

Objective To assess whether three health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) measures (the EQ-5D(index), SF-6D, and EQ VAS) can discriminate between the HRQL of different groups of individuals. Methods In one UK general practice a cross-sectional survey requested information on six sociodemographic factors, 10 clinical conditions, and the three HRQL measures. Regression analyses were used to assess whether there was a significant difference in HRQL between groups with different sociodemographic factors and those with and without clinical conditions. Results One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five questionnaires were returned. There was a significant difference between the HRQL of the majority of different groups according to each HRQL measure. However, not all of the measures could discriminate between groups of different ethnicity, gender, or smoking status, or those with and without asthma, stroke, cancer or diabetes. Conclusion The HRQL of the majority of different groups could be discriminated between by the EQ-5D(index), SF-6D, and EQ VAS.