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Over the period 1987–1991 an inter-disciplinary five-country group developed the EuroQol instrument, a five-dimensional three-level generic measure subsequently termed the ‘EQ-5D’. It was designed to measure and value health status. The salient features of its development and its consolidation and expansion are discussed. Initial expansion came, in particular, in the form of new language versions. Their development raised translation and semantic issues, experience with which helped feed into the design of two further instruments, the EQ-5D-5L and the youth version EQ-5D-Y. The expanded usage across clinical programmes, disease and condition areas, population surveys, patient-reported outcomes, and value sets is outlined. Valuation has been of continued relevance for the Group as this has allowed its instruments to be utilised as part of the economic appraisal of health programmes and their incorporation into health technology assessments. The future of the Group is considered in the context of: (1) its scientific strategy, (2) changes in the external environment affecting the demand for EQ-5D, and (3) a variety of issues it is facing in the context of the design of the instrument, its use in health technology assessment, and potential new uses for EQ-5D outside of clinical trials and technology appraisal.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40258-017-0310-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The addition of MHRV to house dust mite eradication strategies did not achieve a reduction in mite allergen levels, but did improve evening PEF.

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A pilot economic evaluation of a projected pressure ulcer prevention policy was carried out in a 252-bed geriatric unit in Glasgow. The aim was to set up a framework for evaluating and comparing the costs and benefits of current care and a potential prevention programme. Data were collated from prevalence and incidence studies. Prevalence results showed that 41% of the patient population suffered pressure damage to some extent and incidence data showed that 45% of these were potentially preventable. Evaluation of the costs and benefits shows that the prevention programme would be cost-effective. The cost would be between 17,606 Pounds and 28,669 Pounds but the benefits would range from 305,506 Pounds to 342,510 Pounds. The authors conclude that economic appraisal is feasible.

Between 1987 and 1990, the EuroQol Group developed a 5-dimension health-related quality of life instrument, originally known as 'the EuroQol instrument', which since 1995 has been called the 'EQ-5D'. For several years, 'the EuroQol instrument' and 'EQ-5D' were both deployed in published materials. In order to standardise nomenclature, the EuroQol Group agreed in 2001 on a terminology glossary containing 12 items; this was recently revised and augmented to include 22 items and can be found on the Group's website (www.euroqol.org). Since 2009, EQ-5D has been available in three versions: EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and EQ-5D-Y, where 3L stands for three levels, 5L for five levels, and Y for youth. Yet, almost 20 years after the original glossary was published, the instrument and its components continue to be inaccurately named in published materials. Two surveysof arthritis applications, and 82 recent publicationsfound a variety of terms used to describe the instrument. Despite the instrument being named 'EQ-5D' for 25 years, and the terms 'EQ-5D-3L' and 'EQ-5D-5L' being established for a decade, variations of 'the EuroQol instrument' continue to be used as descriptors. The EuroQol Group's website contains advice on how to use EQ-5D, including nomenclature, and potential users are urged to consult the site. Since standardising nomenclature is crucial in the compilation of systematic reviews, the EuroQol Group would like to emphasise that 'EQ-5D' is not an abbreviation and is the correct term to use when referring to the instrument in general. In the interests of accuracy and good practice, users of the EuroQol family of instruments should employ the standard EQ-5D nomenclature when reporting and discussing their findings.