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.