We have launched a public consultation on the proposed adoption of the new EQ-5D-5L value set which will help us to make more accurate assessments of how treatments improve health-related quality of life.
The consultation is now open, and we encourage patients, clinicians, industry representatives, academics and other stakeholders to share their views.
The EQ-5D is a short questionnaire used to understand how a person's health affects their quality of life. Responses to the questionnaire are converted into a single number (called a utility value) using a mathematical model called a value set. We use utility values in our cost-effectiveness evaluations, to assess whether an intervention offers value for money.
We have to date been using an old value set, based on data that was collected in the early 1990s. The new UK EQ-5D-5L value set offers a more accurate reflection of how people in the UK think about health and quality of life today.
Our assessments use quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to estimate the health benefits of new medicines. The QALY combines both the length of life gained from a treatment and its impact on quality of life compared with current treatment. The current consultation includes proposed updates to our methods manuals, along with the results of 3 impact assessments examining how the EQ-5D-5L could affect:
- cost-effectiveness calculations, including QALY estimates and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios
- the number of decisions qualifying for the severity modifier and how it changes QALY shortfall estimates
- equalities and health inequalities.
We’re proposing these changes through our modular updates process.
Your response could help shape how we evaluate treatments for years to come. More accurate measurements mean better decisions - and better decisions mean patients get access to the treatments that truly matter.
The consultation is open from Wednesday 15 April to Wednesday 27 May.
Webinar: better data, better decisions: adopting the EQ-5D-5L value set
Join Koonal Shah and Sophie Cooper from our science policy team and Jacoline Bouvy, programme director in medicines evaluation, to discuss the new value set, what its adoption means for NICE decision making and how you can have your say in our upcoming consultation.
Excerpt from the official page. The original is authoritative.