Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37029258›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2023

Use of the visual analogue scale for health state valuation: a scoping review.

Mimmi Åström, Zin Min Thet Lwin, Fitsum Sebsibe Teni, Kristina Burström, Jenny Berg

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 98 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
98citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

98 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  9. Aphasia-specific or generic outcomes? a comparison of two health-related quality of life instruments for economic evaluations of aphasia treatments.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
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  10. [Clinical Efficacy of Acupuncture Combined With Acupoint Patching in Treating Chronic Pelvic Pain as a Sequela of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease].Sichuan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Sichuan University. Medical science edition · 2025
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  20. Do we agree on health state outcomes? A review of measurement agreement between time-trade off and other utility measures.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026
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38 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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.

Mimmi Åström *Health Outcomes and Economic Evaluation Research Group, Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. mimmi.astrom@ki.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6711-5262
Zin Min Thet Lwin *Health Outcomes and Economic Evaluation Research Group, Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4305-6728
Fitsum Sebsibe TeniHealth Outcomes and Economic Evaluation Research Group, Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-499X
Kristina BurströmHealth Outcomes and Economic Evaluation Research Group, Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9996-4317
Jenny BergHealth Outcomes and Economic Evaluation Research Group, Stockholm Centre for Healthcare Ethics, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5994-6816

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe visual analogue scale (VAS) has been used in the context of health and healthcare for various purposes, for example, to measure pain and to provide a single-index measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This scoping review aims to describe how the VAS has been used for health state valuation in the published literature.

methodsThe search was carried out in Medline, Web of Science and PsycInfo. The findings of the included articles were tabulated and presented descriptively using frequencies and proportions.

resultsThe database search yielded 4856 unique articles, out of these, 308 were included. In 83% of the articles, the main purpose for using a VAS was to value health states. The two most common perspectives when valuing health states with a VAS were hypothetical (44%) and own health (34%). Some (n = 14) articles used the VAS in the context of economic evaluations, including calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). A large variation in the design of the VAS was found, including the description of the lower and upper anchors. Advantages and disadvantages with using a VAS were mentioned in 14% of the included articles.

conclusionThe VAS has been a common method for valuing health states, both as a stand-alone method and in combination with other valuation methods. Despite its widespread use, the design of the VAS has been inconsistent which makes comparison of results across studies challenging. Further research on the role of using the VAS in economic evaluations is warranted.

Indexed as

Health StatusQuality of LifeCost-Benefit AnalysisHumansPain MeasurementVisual Analog ScaleAnchoringEconomic evaluationHealth-related quality of lifeHealth state valuationScoping reviewVisual analogue scale

Identifiers

PMID37029258
PMCPMC10474194

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.