General Medicine

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments provide standardized measures of patient well-being that transcend disease-specific boundaries. The EQ-5D, developed by the EuroQol Group, is the most widely used generic HRQoL instrument globally, comprising a 5-dimension descriptive system and a visual analog scale (EQ-VAS).

EQ-5D utility scores are used in health technology assessment (HTA) by NICE, IQWiG, and CADTH to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for cost-effectiveness analysis. The instrument has validated population norms for over 20 countries and is available in over 100 languages.

General wellness and functional assessment tools bridge gaps between specialty-specific scoring systems, enabling comprehensive patient evaluation in multidisciplinary settings, clinical research, and population health management.