Patient-Completed Questionnaires

After the qualitative interview, participants completed the EQ-5D-5L, a self-administered, generic, preference-weighted measure designed to assess health status [15]. The EQ-5D-5L was scored as suggested by Pickard and colleagues [16] for US samples. Higher scores for the index score and the visual analogue scale (VAS) indicate better overall health status. The EQ-5D-5L was administered to provide an indication of the general health status of the sample.

Participants also completed a sociodemographic and clinical form including items on age, gender, living situation, employment, education level, racial/ethnic background, and general health-related questions. Printed copies of both questionnaires were mailed to participants before the interview, and participants completed the questionnaires when instructed by the interviewer. Responses were then dictated to the interviewer over the telephone.