Ikeda S, Hamashima C, Ikegami N, Yoshida K; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.
Annu Meet Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 1999; 15: 95.
Department of Health Policy and Management, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
OBJECTIVE: The Japanese EuroQol Translation Team developed the official version of the EuroQol Instrument (EQ-5D) in 1998, and it has started being used in Japan. The instrument consists of the 5-dimensional descriptive system and the validation method using thermometer-like VAS scale. However, we became aware of the fact that a significant number of respondents did not comply with the instructions on the VAS scale. We reviewed the extent to which these instructions were followed. METHODS: A recent EuroQol survey of 2100 cancer patients was used for our review. The survey was carried out in a prefectural cancer center near Tokyo in October 1998. The classification of the response types was according to that proposed by P Kind (1996), i.e. compliant, partially compliant, mark next to VAS, thermometer, mark across the line, multiple marks, and others. RESULTS: Only 22% of respondents recorded their own health status exactly accordance with the instructions. 11% partially complied with the instructions but the line to the VAS scale stopped short and did not cross the scale, however, this was almost always codable. A significant number (19%) dreew a line across the scale completely independent of the central box. Among the 'other' response type, considerable number of respondents (16%) drew a circle on or adjacent to the scale, of which 32% were not codable. The ratio of uncodable responses was 20%, consisting of 9% not responding to the VAS question at all, and 11% not codable because it was not clear where the respondents had made their marks. CONCLUSIONS: There was wide variability in the response mode in completing the VAS scale in the Japanese EuroQol. We concluded that the modification of the present instruction and/or the format of the VAS scale should be made to minimize uncodable or missing responses.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Data Collection
- Demography
- Health Status
- Humans
- Japan
- Pain Measurement
- Tokyo
- Weights and Measures
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102193969
From Meeting Abstracts