TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychometric Properties of the EQ-5D-5L in Post-COVID-19 Condition
T2 - Results From the Long CORFU Study
AU - Suazo Guevara, Marcela M.
AU - Haagsma, Juanita A.
AU - Klein, Dorthe O.
AU - van Kuijk, Sander M.J.
AU - Waardenburg, Sophie F.
AU - Bonsel, Gouke J.
AU - Birnie, Erwin
AU - Wintjens, Marieke S.J.N.
AU - van Bussel, Bas C.T.
AU - van Santen, Susanne
AU - Ghossein-Doha, Chahinda
AU - Warlé, Michiel C.
AU - Jacobs, Lotte M.C.
AU - Hemmen, Bena
AU - Kietselaer, Bas L.J.H.
AU - Jansen, Gwyneth
AU - Heemskerk, Stella C.M.
AU - CORFU group
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding/Support: This study was supported by The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW), grant number 10430302110005 and by the EuroQol Research Foundation , grant number EQ Project1569-RA .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
PY - 2026/8
Y1 - 2026/8
N2 - Objectives: The EQ-5D-5L is commonly used to assess health-related quality of life in patients with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), but evidence on its psychometric properties and responsiveness to change in this population is limited. This study assessed psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L in long-term health-related quality of life assessments of patients with PCC. Methods: Participants from multiple Dutch COVID-19 cohorts completed a self-administered questionnaire 2 and 3 years after acute COVID-19. Measures included 13 PCC-related symptoms, the EQ-5D-5L, self-rated health (SRH), and (at 3-year follow-up) a Global Rating of Change (GRC) scale. Psychometric properties were assessed via hypothesis testing of the following: distributional characteristics (ceiling/floor), divergent validity, convergent validity, explanatory power, known-group validity, and responsiveness. Results: Data from 237 participants were analyzed. A ceiling was observed in 7.2% of participants. Correlations between EQ-5D-5L dimensions ranged from weak to strong (r
s: 0.24-0.62). EQ-5D-5L index and EQ visual analog scale showed a strong correlation and EQ-5D-5L index and SRH showed moderate correlation. Usual activities and mobility explained most of the EQ visual analog scale variance (R
2) (39.0% of total 41.3%). Median EQ-5D-5L index increased with higher symptom severity (P <.001). Weak correlations were observed between EQ-5D-5L index change scores and changes in SRH and symptom severity, and GRC, with low discrimination between change subgroups (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve < 0.7). Conclusions: Most psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L in PCC populations were sufficient, with some limitations in capturing health in people with more severe symptoms, and an inability to detect change over time.
AB - Objectives: The EQ-5D-5L is commonly used to assess health-related quality of life in patients with post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), but evidence on its psychometric properties and responsiveness to change in this population is limited. This study assessed psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L in long-term health-related quality of life assessments of patients with PCC. Methods: Participants from multiple Dutch COVID-19 cohorts completed a self-administered questionnaire 2 and 3 years after acute COVID-19. Measures included 13 PCC-related symptoms, the EQ-5D-5L, self-rated health (SRH), and (at 3-year follow-up) a Global Rating of Change (GRC) scale. Psychometric properties were assessed via hypothesis testing of the following: distributional characteristics (ceiling/floor), divergent validity, convergent validity, explanatory power, known-group validity, and responsiveness. Results: Data from 237 participants were analyzed. A ceiling was observed in 7.2% of participants. Correlations between EQ-5D-5L dimensions ranged from weak to strong (r
s: 0.24-0.62). EQ-5D-5L index and EQ visual analog scale showed a strong correlation and EQ-5D-5L index and SRH showed moderate correlation. Usual activities and mobility explained most of the EQ visual analog scale variance (R
2) (39.0% of total 41.3%). Median EQ-5D-5L index increased with higher symptom severity (P <.001). Weak correlations were observed between EQ-5D-5L index change scores and changes in SRH and symptom severity, and GRC, with low discrimination between change subgroups (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve < 0.7). Conclusions: Most psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L in PCC populations were sufficient, with some limitations in capturing health in people with more severe symptoms, and an inability to detect change over time.
KW - COVID-19
KW - EQ-5D-5L
KW - post-COVID-19 condition
KW - psychometrics
U2 - 10.1016/j.jval.2026.02.016
DO - 10.1016/j.jval.2026.02.016
M3 - Article
SN - 1098-3015
VL - 29
SP - 1463
EP - 1470
JO - Value in Health
JF - Value in Health
IS - 8
ER -