Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
Published on: September 1, 2016
Testing the measurement equivalence of paper and touch-screen versions of the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ VAS)
Sulabha Ramachandran1, J Jason Lundy, Stephen Joel Coons
1Health Economics and Outcomes Research, AstraZeneca LP, PO Box 15437, 1800 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE, 19850, USA. Sulabha.Ramachandran@astrazeneca.com
Objectives:
This study examined the measurement equivalence of the original paper-based vertical format of the EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ VAS) with a touch-screen computer-based horizontal format.
Methods:
A total of 314 subjects were administered two modes of the EQ VAS in a randomized crossover design. One mode was the original paper-based 20 cm vertical EQ VAS; the other mode was touch-screen-based. Measurement equivalence was assessed by testing the 95% confidence interval of the mean differences from an equivalence threshold of -3 to +3 points on the VAS and evaluating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Results:
The adjusted mean (SE) EQ VAS score was 80.96 (0.87) on the paper and 79.59 (0.85) on the touch-screen. The mean (CI) difference between scores on the two formats was 1.37 with a confidence interval of 0.175-2.559, wholly contained within the equivalence interval. The ICC was 0.75, indicating acceptable agreement between the two modes. Almost a third (30.1%) of the respondents reported identical scores on both formats.
Conclusion:
These results provide evidence for the measurement equivalence of this EQ VAS touch-screen administration mode with the original paper mode.
Related Concept Videos
Uncertainty in Measurement: Reading Instruments
Testing a Claim about Standard Deviation
The hypothesis testing for the claim of population standard deviation (or variance) requires the data and samples to be random and unbiased. The population distribution also must be normal. There is no specific requirement on the sample size as the estimation is based on the chi-square distribution.
As a first step, the hypothesis (null and alternative) concerning the claim about...
Distance Corrections
Differential Leveling
Estimation of the Physical Quantities

