However, hurdles remain if the instruments are to be used in a coordinated fashion. Obtaining and using preference weights in pediatric populations is a relatively new area of research with its own challenges including the need to transition between value sets for different age groups. Furthermore, while using age-appropriate instruments may improve measurement within an age group it can also produce discontinuities in measurements across age groups.

This symposium aims to summarize the EuroQol instruments developed to measure HRQoL across different ages and describes the conceptual relationship between those instruments. We will discuss the empirical evidence on how the descriptions of HRQoL generated from EuroQol instruments compare and the resulting comparability of results before and after transitioning to another measure of health based on age. Furthermore, an increasing number of value sets are becoming available for the EQ-5D-Y-3L and appear to have distinctive characteristics compared to adult EQ-5D values. We discuss the implications for use of these values in QALY estimation and other applications, focusing on understanding the transition between age-specific measures.

We conclude by describing the potential advantages for users and decision-makers of a system which allows for the reliable measurement and valuation of health from infancy, childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, identifying the remaining challenges and evidence needed to achieve that goal.