Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Long COVID is a chronic condition with a large and growing burden. It is important to understand the impact of long COVID on HRQoL. The EQ-5D - one of the most widely accepted measures of HRQoL - has been validated for many chronic conditions, but it is important to understand the extent to which the EQ-5D has been validated in long COVID.
METHODS: A systematic review was undertaken to identify articles published between 2020 and August 2024 that used the EQ-5D to measure HRQoL in individuals with long COVID. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 Checklist and is registered with PROSPERO. The information extracted for thematic analysis included the evidence generated or referenced by the paper for using the EQ-5D for long COVID, particularly regarding its psychometric properties.
RESULTS: A total of 214 papers were identified. All abstracts were screened and then the full texts of 200 articles were assessed for eligibility, with 110 articles included in this analysis. Most papers that used the EQ-5D did not justify this decision or demonstrate any investigation of the psychometric properties, either through a statistical test, other indication of reliability, or reference to support the inclusion of the instrument in their study.
CONCLUSIONS: Long COVID has been a recognised condition since 2020, and the popularity of EQ-5D as a measure of HRQoL has been well established. What is missing however is evidence of the psychometric properties of the instrument in long COVID related studies. Studies cite other papers using the EQ-5D in long COVID as justification of validity with those papers often not justifying validity or once again citing other studies using the EQ-5D. The findings of this systematic review have indicated that the EQ-5D is a popular instrument in long COVID research but currently lacks evidence of robust validity.