VALUE SETS FOR AQOL, EQ-5D, HUI, QWB AND SF-6D: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THEIR AVAILABILITY AND CHARACTERISTICS
Author(s)
Ling Jie Cheng, PhD, MPH, BSN (Hons), RN1, Annushiah Vasan Thakumar, BSc, PhD2, Xin Zhang, PhD3, Xun Li, MSc4, Bernhard Slaap, PhD5, Tessa Kennedy-Martin, MSc6, Kristina Secnik Boye, MPH, MS, RPh, PhD7, Michael Herdman, MSc8.
1National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 3Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, 4School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom, 5EuroQol Research Foundation, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 6Kennedy Martin Health Outcomes, Hove, England, United Kingdom, 7Eli Lilly and Company, Greenwood, IN, USA, 8Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Please select, Singapore.
1National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 3Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore, 4School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom, 5EuroQol Research Foundation, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 6Kennedy Martin Health Outcomes, Hove, England, United Kingdom, 7Eli Lilly and Company, Greenwood, IN, USA, 8Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Please select, Singapore.
OBJECTIVES: Multi-attribute utility instruments (MAUIs) play a crucial role in health technology assessment, making reliable information on the availability and quality of their value sets essential. This systematic review assessed the number, geographical coverage, and methodological characteristics of value sets available for six major MAUIs.
METHODS: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. We systematically searched five databases up to August 2025 for studies reporting value set generation for six MAUIs: Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL), EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, Health Utilities Index (HUI), Quality of Well-Being Scale (QWB) and SF-6D. Data on country coverage, publication year, sample characteristics, and valuation methodology were extracted and synthesised.
RESULTS: We identified 145 value sets from 137 studies, 53 (36.6%) for EQ-5D-3L, 56 (38.6%) for EQ-5D-5L, 29 (20.0%) for SF-6D, and ≤3 (≤2.1%) for each remaining PWM. Most value sets (92.4%, 134/145) were characterised as 'societal' and were available for EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L in 46 and 44 countries, respectively, compared with 14 countries for SF-6D and one country each for the other measures. 59.7% of societal value sets were published within the past decade (64 for EQ-5D-3L/5L, 16 for SF-6D, none for the other instruments). Mean sample sizes for societal valuation studies were 2,600 for EQ-5D-5L and 2,454 for EQ-5D-3L, with most aiming for population representativeness by age and gender, and some accounting for rural/urban split, education, or ethnicity. Standardised valuation protocols were reported in 91.7% of EQ-5D-5L, 78.4% of EQ-5D-3L, and 46.4% of SF-6D societal studies, with none reported for the other instruments. Commonly used valuation methods were time trade-off and discrete choice experiment, or a combination of the two.
CONCLUSIONS: Available MAUIs vary substantially in their ability to reflect current health state preferences suitable for local healthcare decision-making. Researchers should consider the recency, availability and methodological quality of value sets when selecting an instrument.
METHODS: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. We systematically searched five databases up to August 2025 for studies reporting value set generation for six MAUIs: Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL), EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, Health Utilities Index (HUI), Quality of Well-Being Scale (QWB) and SF-6D. Data on country coverage, publication year, sample characteristics, and valuation methodology were extracted and synthesised.
RESULTS: We identified 145 value sets from 137 studies, 53 (36.6%) for EQ-5D-3L, 56 (38.6%) for EQ-5D-5L, 29 (20.0%) for SF-6D, and ≤3 (≤2.1%) for each remaining PWM. Most value sets (92.4%, 134/145) were characterised as 'societal' and were available for EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L in 46 and 44 countries, respectively, compared with 14 countries for SF-6D and one country each for the other measures. 59.7% of societal value sets were published within the past decade (64 for EQ-5D-3L/5L, 16 for SF-6D, none for the other instruments). Mean sample sizes for societal valuation studies were 2,600 for EQ-5D-5L and 2,454 for EQ-5D-3L, with most aiming for population representativeness by age and gender, and some accounting for rural/urban split, education, or ethnicity. Standardised valuation protocols were reported in 91.7% of EQ-5D-5L, 78.4% of EQ-5D-3L, and 46.4% of SF-6D societal studies, with none reported for the other instruments. Commonly used valuation methods were time trade-off and discrete choice experiment, or a combination of the two.
CONCLUSIONS: Available MAUIs vary substantially in their ability to reflect current health state preferences suitable for local healthcare decision-making. Researchers should consider the recency, availability and methodological quality of value sets when selecting an instrument.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EPH226
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Public Health
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas