Comparing the EQ-5D-5L utility index based on value sets of different countries: impact on the interpretation of clinical study results

OBJECTIVE: To compare the country-specific value sets of the EQ-5D-5L utility index and to evaluate the impact on the interpretation of clinical study results. Six country value sets from Canada, England, Japan, Korea, Netherlands and Uruguay were obtained from literature. In addition, ten crosswalk value sets were downloaded from the EuroQol.org website. RESULTS: For each of the 3125 possible health states the difference between the country with the highest index and the country with the lowest index was calculated. The median difference was 0.417 across the health states. When analyzing multinational clinical studies, country-specific value sets should be used to evaluate treatment effects. Additional country-specific analyses are needed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4067-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.