2.1 Study design
This study is a cross-sectional survey exploring the personal safety and
emotional well-being of those affected with olfactory dysfunction. The
survey was created on SurveyMonkey, designed to capture both
quantitative and qualitative data. This survey included a combination of
multiple-choice answers, a rating scale, and opportunities for
participants to enter free text. Data included in analyses were
responses from 25th February 2022 to 28th September 2022. The survey
remains open for continuous data collection. The study complied to the
STROBE guidelines.
As the survey was anonymous and considered to be service evaluation,
there was no ethical approval sought in line with the Health Regulation
Authority guidance:
http://www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/research/docs/DefiningResearchTable_Oct20
17-1.pdf.