Objectives The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate how members of the general public in Korea interpret the concept of health, and which dimensions of health are most important to them. We also explored their perceptions of the EuroQoL 5-Dimension (EQ-5D), including the EuroQoL visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS).
Methods We conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 20 individuals from the general population, using a semi-structured interview guide. Content analysis was performed with verbatim transcripts and field notes to identify codes and categorize them according to their similarities and associations.
Results In total, 734 different codes were derived and classified into 4 categories. Participants cited the importance of both the mental and physical aspects of health, although they emphasized that the physical aspects appeared to play a larger role in their conceptualization of health. Participants noted that the EQ-5D has the advantage of being composed of 5 dimensions that are simple and contain both physical and mental areas necessary to describe health. However, some of them mentioned the need to add more dimensions of mental health and social health. Participants showed great satisfaction with the visually well-presented EQ-VAS. However, participants opined that the EQ-VAS scores might not be comparable across respondents because of different ways of responding to the scale.
Conclusions While physical health is a fundamental aspect of health, mental and social aspects are also important to Koreans. The content of the EQ-5D broadly matched the attributes of health considered important by Koreans.
Summary
Korean summary
이번 연구에서는 질적 연구 방법론을 활용하여 한국인이 건강을 이해하고 개념화하는 방법과 건강의 어떤 차원을 중요하게 여기는지 살펴보면서 EQ-5D에 대한 인식을 살펴보았다. 이번 연구를 통하여 EQ-5D와 EQ VAS가 전반적으로 한국인의 건강 관련 삶의 질을 잘 측정할 수 있지만, 정신적 및 사회적 측면에 대한 항목을 추가하면 한국인의 건강 관련 삶의 질을 더 잘 반영할 수 있음을 확인하였다.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
How Well Does the EQ-5D-Y-5L Describe Children With Intellectual Disability?: “There’s a Lot More to My Child Than That She Can’t Wash or Dress Herself.” A. Marie Blackmore, Brendan Mulhern, Richard Norman, Dinah Reddihough, Catherine S. Choong, Peter Jacoby, Jenny Downs Value in Health.2024; 27(2): 190. CrossRef
Exploring potential EQ-5D bolt-on dimensions with a qualitative approach: an interview study in Hong Kong SAR, China Clement Cheuk Wai Ng, Annie Wai Ling Cheung, Eliza Lai Yi Wong Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Acceptability of the routine use and collection of a generic patient reported outcome measure from the perspective of healthcare staff: a qualitative study David A Snowdon, Velandai Srikanth, Richard Beare, Kate E Noeske, Elizabeth Le, Bridget O’Bree, Nadine E Andrew Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes.2023;[Epub] CrossRef