Background: Preference weights for EQ-5D-3L based on visual analogue scale (VAS) has recently been developed
in Iran. The aim of the current study was to compare performance of this value set against the UK VAS-based
value set.
Methods: The mean scores for all possible 243 health states were compared using Student t test. Absolute
agreement and consistency were investigated using concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and BlandAltman plot. Health gains for 29 403 possible transitions between pairs of EQ-5D-3L health states were compared.
Responsiveness to change and discriminative ability across subgroups of health transitions were assessed.
Results: The mean EQ-5D-3L scores were similar for two value sets (mean=0.31, P=1.00). For 36% of health
states, the absolute differences were greater than 0.10. There were three pairwise logical inconsistencies in the
Iranian value set. The Iranian scores were lower (higher) for severe (mild) health states than the United Kingdom.
The CCC (95% CI) was 0.85 (0.81 to 0.88) and Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement. The mean health gain
for all possible transitions predicted by the Iranian value set was higher (0.22 vs. 0.20, P<.001) and two value sets
predicted opposite transitions in 15% of transitions. The responsiveness of these two value sets were similar with
lower discriminative ability for Iranian value set.
Conclusion: The Iranian value set attribute lower values to most severe health states and higher values to mild
health states compared with the UK value set. Such systematic differences might translate into discrepant health
gains and cost-effectiveness which should be taking into account for informed decision-making
