The survey is completely anonymous and should take no longer than
10-15 minutes to complete. It is based on the UK healthcare system but
it should still be relevant if you are based in another country. We
would like contributions from people outside the UK as this data may
help to show that this is a global issue. We’d also like to hear from
parents of a child with a smell/taste disorder who have sought medical
advice as it’s important that your voices are heard too.
Participants
Eligibility criteria
All members of the public self-reporting a loss or disturbance of
olfaction and/or gustation were entitled to participate in the survey.
Sources and methods of selection of
participants
Survey participants were able to access the survey themselves free of
charge via the web-based platform SurveyMonkey. Participants were
self-selecting and could participate from any country internationally.
Data sources/management and
variables
The survey asked for basic demographics including age and sex.
Participants were asked to declare the underlying cause for their smell
loss. Further questions explored participants use of medical services,
costs borne in doing so and any resistance encountered. See appendix 1
for details.
Bias
We aimed to reduce bias in responses by making the survey widely
available but inevitably, those who are not online or have access to the
aforementioned social media would not have seen this opportunity.
Although the survey was initiated in the UK and Fifth Sense membership
is predominantly UK based, the international availability aimed to
derive a broader healthcare view across other healthcare systems.
Study size and Statistical
Methods
As this was an exploratory study, no sample size was set. Due to the
nature of the study, descriptive statistics only have been utilised in
reporting the survey data.