Is the Health Utilities Index responsive in total hip arthroplasty patients?

Objective: The purpose is to examine the responsiveness of the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI2), Mark 3 (HUI3), and other generic and disease-specific measures in osteoarthritis patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods: Ninety patients (mean age = 68.13; SD = 8.15) on a waiting list for THA completed measures that included the standard gamble, HUI2, HUI3, SF-36, Harris Hip Scale, WOMAC, and MACTAR. before and after THA. Responsiveness statistics (effect size, standardized response mean, Guyatt's responsiveness statistic, paired-sample t-tests, and relative efficiency statistic) were calculated. Results: The disease-specific measures were more responsive than the generic measures. Rankings of the degree of responsiveness varied depending on the responsiveness statistic used. Conclusions: Disease-specific measures are the most responsive in THA patients. However, the SF-36, HUI2, and HUI3 had summary scores and domain/attributes scores that were also responsive and provided additional information. Among the generic measures, HUI3 was the most responsive. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.