European Quality of Life - 5 Domains (EQ-5D)
What It Measures
The EQ-5D is a short, generic measure of health that works across almost any condition. Because it produces a single number, health economists use it to compare treatments and calculate quality-adjusted life years — which is why it appears in trials and policy work far more than in routine therapy notes.
Five dimensions are rated: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression. Each dimension has three levels in the older EQ-5D-3L and five in the current EQ-5D-5L, producing a five-digit health state. A country-specific value set converts that state into an index score. A separate vertical scale asks the person to rate their health today from 0, the worst they can imagine, to 100, the best.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: All use requires registration at https://registration.euroqol.org, including non-commercial use. Academic and non-commercial registrations are typically granted at no charge; commercial users are charged a license fee.