iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire

All official translations of the iPCQ are listed on the website. However, the set of questionnaires is still expanding with new translations. If you do not find the desired language on the website, please contact us to check whether translations are in process.

If a translation is not foreseen, you can translate the questionnaire yourself. Registration for use if the questionnaire is still required.

There are two options for translations:

• You use forward/backward translation of the full and unchanged questionnaire (including the order and routing of questions). You might choose to get the questionnaire translated by a certified translation agency. If the translation is of sufficient quality, we can make the translations the official translations of the questionnaire. We will then include a statement acknowledging that you’ve translated the questionnaire. The translations will be made available to other researchers via the regular registration procedure.
• You do not follow the instructions listed above. In that case, you will obtain a translation of the official questionnaire.

In any case, the property rights of the iPCQ and the new translations remain with iMTA. We would like to receive a copy of the translations when ready.

The SF-HLQ and the PRODISQ have been replaced years ago by the iPCQ. These questionnaires have been used in the development of the iPCQ. The use of the SF-HLQ and the PRODISQ is thus no longer advised. We recommend the use of the iPCQ instead. Therefore, we do no longer distribute the SF-HLQ and the PRODISQ.

For non-commercial studies, the questionnaires can be used free of charge. We do charge a license fee for the use in commercially sponsored studies. The license fee depends on the desired number of translations and the anticipated number of respondents per translation. We offer a discount if the data obtained from the study is shared with us after the study is completed. In any case, registration through the registration form on the website is mandatory.

Registration is required so that we can ensure that the latest versions of the questionnaires are used. Furthermore, with registration we can monitor the number of studies that use the questionnaires. Finally, registration is required so that we can determine the user fee for commercially sponsored studies. Please note that iMTA is the sole distributor of the questionnaires. iMTA questionnaires that are obtained from other sources might be outdated or changed by third parties. iMTA can only guarantee the quality of the questionnaires distributed by iMTA.

We welcome psychometric testing of (translations of) the questionnaires. Permission to do such a study is not necessary, although you are still required to register your study. You are not obliged to discuss your research proposal with us, but you can contact us to discuss your study prior to the study’s start. Please inform us if you have publications on methodological studies on the questionnaires, so we can publish a reference on our website – helping you to get increased exposure of your results.

The questionnaires are generic questionnaires. Therefore, specific elements (e.g. healthcare providers) that might be particularly relevant for your study might be missing from the questionnaire. On the other hand, some questions might not be relevant to your study population. You are allowed to make changes to the questionnaires, without prior notification to us. However, in your publications you should mention that you are using an amended version of the questionnaire.

Using longer recall periods comes at a risk that respondents are not fully capable of adequately answering the questionnaires. You can use shorter recall periods, but when respondents are asked to fill out the questionnaires multiple times, this might come at the cost of the response rate. If you are planning to extrapolate outcomes, you will need to make sure that you take correctly take into account the recall period. With these warnings, note that you are allowed to make changes to the questionnaires, without prior notification to us. In your publications you should mention that you are using an amended version of the questionnaire.

In your publications, citation of the questionnaire is mandatory. You can cite the iPCQ in two ways: Manual of the iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire (iPCQ). Rotterdam: iMTA, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2018 iMTA Productivity and Health Research Group.

Or you can cite the scientific manuscript:

Bouwmans C, Krol M, Severens H, Koopmanschap M, Brouwer W, Hakkaart-van Roijen L. The iMTA Productivity Cost Questionnaire: A Standardized Instrument for Measuring and Valuing Health-Related Productivity Losses. Value Health. 2015;18(6):753-8.

Yes, you can receive a sample version of the questionnaire which you can use to assess whether you want to use it in your study. Please send an email to questionnaires@imta.eur.nl to receive a sample copy. You cannot use the sample version for data collection. If you decide to use the questionnaire for data collection, registration through the online form is still required.

Yes, you can alter the questionnaire if you deem this necessary for your study. However, we do not recommend specifying the disease of interest. Respondents might have difficulties to identify disease related productivity costs, as it might be unclear to them which symptoms might be related to the disease. This problem might be especially prominent in patients who are recently diagnosed. For diseases with limited evidence is available, even physicians might encounter difficulties in this.

The problem that (seemingly) unrelated productivity costs is included in the questionnaire might be irrelevant when the questionnaire is used for comparative analyses – as unrelated healthcare/productivity costs is included in both treatment arms, the incremental costs of it is expected to be very limited.

Yes, you can. We do not supply specific modules for data collection platforms, so you will have to program the questionnaires yourself

Syntaxes, particularly including unit cost prices and methodology for estimating productivity costs, are time- and country specific. Therefore, we do not distribute syntaxes. Users need to develop syntaxes on their own. The user manual can be helpful for developing syntaxes.

Which questionnaire to use is dependent on the research question. The iPCQ and iMCQ are complimentary – apart from the introduction questions there is no overlap between these questionnaires.  The iPCQ measures productivity losses, whereas the iMCQ measures health care utilization. The iPCQ and iMCQ are generic questionnaires, that can be used in every indication.

All versions of the TIC-P questionnaire are specifically intended for use in psychiatric populations. The iPCQ is an integral part of the original TIC-P questionnaire. If you want to use the TIC-P questionnaire, you do not need to register for the iPCQ separately.

The TIC-P Midi is a shortened version of the TIC-P questionnaire. It is developed and tested only for institutionalized patients with personality disorders. In other populations, i.e. those receiving more outpatient care, the use of the full-length TIC-P is recommended.

The questionnaires are protected by copyright and cannot be made publicly available without permission of iMTA. In case of multicenter trials, in which participating institutes retrieve questionnaires through a study website, the questionnaires should only be accessible through a protected area on the website, for which login by the participating researcher is required. The questionnaire cannot be published as an (online) appendix to a scientific article.