Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33926461›Full record

ArticleHealth and quality of life outcomes2021

The relation between EQ-5D and fatigue in a Dutch general population sample: an explorative study.

I Spronk, S Polinder, G J Bonsel, M F Janssen, J A Haagsma

Open access · goldAbstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Health and quality of life outcomes, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Supervised Exercise for Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Cost-Utility Analysis Alongside the PREFERABLE-EFFECT Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology · 2025
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  12. Extending the EQ-5D: the case for a complementary set of 4 psycho-social dimensions.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

I SpronkDepartment of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. i.spronk@erasmusmc.nl.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9571-576X
S PolinderDepartment of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4331-3141
G J BonselDepartment of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8364-1086
M F JanssenSection Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
J A HaagsmaDepartment of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2055-548X
Erasmus MC · NL

Funding

EuroQol Research Foundation 20180330
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFatigue negatively influences health-related quality of life. It is questionable whether fatigue is sufficiently covered by the EQ-5D. This study investigated whether fatigue is covered by the existing domains of the EQ-5D.

methodsA Dutch general population sample completed the EQ-5D (3L and 5L version) and the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ), of which the fatigue item was used. Outcomes were compared between participants with and without a chronic health condition. Convergent validity was assessed, and multivariate regression analyses was used to predict the RPQ fatigue item from the EQ-5D-3L and EQ-5D-5L domains separately.

results3027 people completed the survey, of whom 52% had ≥ 1 chronic health condition. Fatigue was reported by 48% of the participants. Fatigue was moderately correlated to the EQ-5D domains 'pain/discomfort', 'usual activities', and 'anxiety/depression' for the 3L (r = 0.379-0.426) and 5L version (r = 0.411-0.469). For the 5L, also a moderate correlation with 'mobility' (r = 0.335) was observed. The remaining correlations were weak. All EQ-5D-3L and 5L domains except for 'mobility' were significantly associated with the RPQ fatigue item (unstandardized Beta = - 0.20-0.67; p < 0.01 to p = 0.04). Comparable outcomes were found for participants with and without ≥ 1 chronic health condition.

conclusionsThe extent to which fatigue is covered by the EQ-5D domains is small to moderate, with the EQ-5D-5L being slightly more sensitive to capture fatigue compared to the EQ-5D-3L. An extra fatigue item for the EQ-5D may add value, as fatigue is not fully captured by the existing domains, both in people with and without a chronic health condition.

Indexed as

Quality of LifeAdultChronic DiseaseFatigueFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID33926461
PMCPMC8082864
OpenAlexW3158905275

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.