Study protocol for valuing EQ-5D-3L and EORTC-8D health states in a representative population sample in Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND Economic evaluations to inform decisions about allocation of health resources are scarce in Low and Middle Income Countries, including in Sri Lanka. This is in part due to a lack of country-specific utility weights, which are necessary to derive appropriate Quality Adjusted Life Years. The EQ-5D-3 L, a generic multi-attribute instrument (MAUI), is most widely used to measure and value health states in high income countries; nevertheless, the sensitivity of generic MAUIs has been criticised in some conditions such as cancer. This article describes a protocol to produce both a generic EQ-5D-3 L and cancer specific EORTC-8D utility index in Sri Lanka. METHOD EQ-5D-3 L and EORTC-8D health states will be valued using the Time Trade-Off technique, by a representative population sample (n = 780 invited) identified using stratified multi-stage cluster sampling with probability proportionate to size method. Households will be randomly selected within 30 clusters across four districts; one adult (≥ 18 years) within each household will be selected using the Kish grid method.Data will be collected via face-to-face interview, with a Time Trade-Off board employed as a visual aid. Of the 243 EQ-5D-3 L and 81,290 EORTC-8D health states, 196 and 84 respectively will be directly valued. In EQ-5D-3 L, all health states that combine level 3 on mobility with either level 1 on usual activities or self-care were excluded. Each participant will first complete the EQ-5D-3 L, rank and value 14 EQ-5D-3 L states (plus the worst health state and "immediate death"), and then rank and value seven EORTC-8D states (plus "immediate death"). Participant demographic and health characteristics will be also collected.Regression models will be fitted to estimate utility indices for EQ-5D-3 L and EORTC-8D health states for Sri Lanka. The dependent variable will be the utility value. Different specifications of independent variables will be derived from the ordinal EQ-5D-3 L to test for the best-fitting model. DISCUSSION In Sri Lanka, a LMIC health state valuation will have to be carried out using face to face interview instead of online methods. The proposed study will provide the first country-specific health state valuations for Sri Lanka, and one of the first valuations to be completed in a South Asian Country.