Validity and responsiveness of generic preference-based HRQOL instruments in chronic epilepsy

J. T. Langfitt, B. G. Vickrey, M. P. McDermott, S. Messing, A. T. Berg, S. S. Spencer, M. R. Sperling, C. W. Bazil, S. Shinnar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

Generic, preference-based instruments are recommended for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in cost-utility analyses (CUA). We aimed to determine which instrument is the most appropriate for CUA of epilepsy care, using established psychometric criteria. We compared validity and responsiveness of EQ5D (using both UK and US preferences), visual analog scale (VAS), Health Utilities Index Mark II (HUI-2) and Mark III (HUI-3) and SF6D in 165 adults evaluated for epilepsy surgery. SF6D had the strongest or next-strongest associations with seizure severity and seizure control. It was not associated with education or IQ. Only SF6D and HUI-3 discriminated between patients with and without seizures 2 years after baseline evaluation. SF6D was most or next-most responsive to being seizure-free for 2 years, in most responsiveness analyses. VAS was also responsive, but showed less evidence of validity. The QOLIE-89, an epilepsy-targeted profile instrument, had stronger evidence for validity and responsiveness than the preference instruments. SF6D has several key psychometric advantages over four other preference instruments in CUAs of epilepsy care. This may reflect better coverage of HRQOL dimensions affected by epilepsy, greater sensitivity at the upper end of the HRQOL continuum, or both. These findings may not generalize to other chronic conditions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)899-914
Number of pages16
JournalQuality of Life Research
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Epilepsy
  • Preference
  • Responsiveness
  • Utility
  • Validity

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