Update on the EQ-5D-5L Value Set for England

November 29, 2018

The following is an update on the current situation regarding the EQ-5D-5L value set for England.

The EQ-5D-5L value set for England was published in 2018.
Since then, in line with UK government quality assurance requirements, a first independent validation of the methods used to derive the value set has been undertaken.
- This methods review has just been published on the EEPRU website.
- Detailed responses from the England valuation study research team addressing the reviewers’ comments have also been published. The technical appendix can be downloaded here.
- A peer review of the EEPRU report has also been carried out. Please note that the peer reviewers did not have access to the dataset, nor to the detailed responses from the England valuation study research team.
Further analyses of the EQ-5D-5L value set for England and the methodology used to derive it are planned, and the EuroQol organization will continue to liaise with interested parties and support them with this work.
NICE has updated their position statement on the EQ-5D-5L value set for England, in which they have reaffirmed their commitment to working with the UK Department of Health and Social Care and other key stakeholders to ensure that an EQ-5D-5L value set is available that can be adopted into their methods. NICE plans to review this statement as soon as this additional work is complete.

In the interim, the current situation regarding the use of the EQ-5D-5L for companies, academic groups, and others preparing evidence submissions for NICE remains the same. In their updated position statement , NICE continues to recommend that:

Data collected using the EQ-5D-5L and EQ-5D-3L versions may be used for reference-case analyses.
Prospective clinical studies should continue to use the EQ-5D-5L descriptive version to collect data on quality of life.
If the EQ-5D-5L measure is used for analyses, scoring should be undertaken using the mapping algorithm by van Hout et al (2012).

Importantly, the EuroQol Group would like to emphasize that this matter relates only to the EQ-5D-5L value set for England.

The EuroQol Group is committed to supporting scientific endeavours that further the measurement and valuation of health and advance the use of measures like the EQ-5D-5L to benefit patients and inform decision makers. For more information on EQ-5D, please visit the EuroQol website.