Use of the EQ-5D Among Patients Suffering from Dementia

Background And Objective: This study was designed to determine the acceptability, feasibility, reliability, and validity of the French version of EQ-5D measuring HRQol in subjects with dementia.

Methods: EQ-5D was administered to 142 subjects. The feasibility and acceptability were determined by the refusal rate, the type of administration, and the percentage and distribution of missing data. Test-retest reliability was studied by kappa coefficients and validity by agreement between subjects' and proxies' assessments.

Results: The response rate was satisfactory. The instrument discriminated well among the subjects. Test-retest reliability was average. The validity was poor if we consider the agreement between patients' and caregivers' reports, but other criteria of validity produced better results. Subjects' responses on each dimension were related with their global judgment of health in the expected direction. Significant relations were found between the Katz index of ADL and self-rated difficulties only for expected dimensions. Relations with age and with gender were in line with expectations.

Conclusion: Results led to consider that patients' responses are not entirely devoid of judgment. It seems that dementia patients are capable of expressing their health-related quality of life through a brief instrument as the EQ-5D.