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Preliminary findings of an investigation into the relationship between national culture and EQ-5D value sets.
Bailey, Henry; Kind, Paul.
Affiliation
  • Bailey H; The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. hhbailey@gmail.com
Qual Life Res ; 19(8): 1145-54, 2010 Oct.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20496167
BACKGROUND: Despite the growing importance of the EQ-5D descriptive system as a basis for the valuation of QALYs in cost-utility analysis, for most countries, there are no EQ-5D value sets. Researchers and policy makers wishing to use the EQ-5D descriptive system in a country for which there is no value set are advised to use one from a nearby or 'similar' population. Factors other than geographic proximity can affect the relative values of EQ-5D states. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the links between national culture and EQ-5D value sets. METHOD: Rank correlation analysis is used to explore relationships between the relative values of a set of EQ-5D states and dimensions of national culture. The latter are taken from Hofstede's framework which operationalizes national culture in five dimensions. RESULTS: For the data currently available (countries for which EQ-5D value sets and scores on dimensions of culture both exist), moderate and strong correlations were found between the culture dimension of power distance and individualism and the EQ-5D dimensions of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Moderate correlations were also observed between the cultural dimension of masculinity and the EQ-5D dimensions of self care, usual activities and pain/discomfort. Uncertainty avoidance correlates with the EQ-5D dimension of anxiety/depression. DISCUSSION: The correlation patterns observed are generally consistent with a priori expectations based on the nature of the dimensions of culture and the EQ-5D model. This analysis demonstrates the potential of national culture in providing insight into the drivers of the relative values of EQ-5D dimensions for different countries and in informing decisions about which EQ-5D value sets to use in situations where one does not exist.
Subject(s)

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Quality-Adjusted Life Years / Cultural Characteristics Type of study: Diagnostic_studies / Prognostic_studies Aspects: Patient_preference Limits: Humans Language: En Journal: Qual Life Res Journal subject: REABILITACAO / TERAPEUTICA Year: 2010 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Trinidad and Tobago Country of publication: Netherlands

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Quality-Adjusted Life Years / Cultural Characteristics Type of study: Diagnostic_studies / Prognostic_studies Aspects: Patient_preference Limits: Humans Language: En Journal: Qual Life Res Journal subject: REABILITACAO / TERAPEUTICA Year: 2010 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Trinidad and Tobago Country of publication: Netherlands