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Article History

Received: 28 October 2025

Accepted: 9 February 2026

First Online: 1 March 2026

Declarations

:

: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Sarah Derrett is a member of the EuroQol Group and chair of EuroQol’s Version Management Committee. Bianca Smit is Senior Project Manager Development & Innovation in the Version Management Office Team of the EuroQol Research Foundation.

: Ethical approval for this study was provided by the Nepal Health Research Council (Reg. No. 441/2020) and George Washington University (Approval No. NCR191416) under the parent study Reducing Stigma among Healthcare Providers (RESHAPE).

: Written consent was sought from all respondents. They were informed on (i) the research process and the EQ-5D-5L tool, (ii) the process of cognitive debriefing interview and its duration, (iii) the voluntary nature of participation and their right to withdraw their participation, and (iv) confidentiality of data collected in simple language. They were also informed that their non-participation would not affect any services that they were receiving from the health facility. Since we were audio recording the interviews, permission to be recorded was also a part of the consent process. Written consent was received and confirmed by means of the respondents’ signature on printed consent forms, which were in Nepali. Understanding of consent was confirmed by asking respondents if they understood what was being asked of them, and by looking for non-verbal cues of confusion or lack of understanding. Respondents below 18 years of age signed a separate assent sheet, and their guardian (their parents, teachers, or close relatives) signed a parental consent form. We received consent from all approached respondents.