Abstract
AIM: The generic EuroQol 5 Dimensions Youth 5 Level (EQ-5D-Y-5L) measures health-related quality of life among children from 8 years. Respondents report their health on five dimensions with five severity levels and rate their overall health on a visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). The aim of the study was to explore acceptability of the EQ-5D-Y-5L instrument among patients in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient care. METHODS: A convenience sample of patients within a psychiatric inpatient care clinic in Region Stockholm, Sweden, was used. Follow-up questions were answered directly after filling in the EQ-5D-Y-5L. Conventional qualitative content analysis was chosen to analyse the open-ended questions on how they perceived answering the instrument. RESULTS: In total, 52 patients (83% girls), mean age 15.4 years (range 13-17), were included. Three themes emerged: generic content of the EQ-5D-Y-5L descriptive system; design and wording of the EQ-5D-Y-5L descriptive system and the EQ VAS; self-reporting health with the EQ-5D-Y-5L descriptive system and the EQ VAS. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of physical health dimensions was perceived as positive, but some patients considered the descriptive system too generic. The results indicate that these patients in general could self-report their health in a meaningful way with the EQ-5D-Y-5L instrument.