Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40344493›Full record

SynthesisInternational forum of allergy & rhinology2025

The Development and Validation of the Smell-Qx Questionnaire, Based on a Systematic Review of the Literature and the COMET Initiative on the Development of Core Outcome Sets for Clinical Trials in Olfactory Disorders.

Matt Lechner, Alexander Fjaeldstad, Umar Rehman, Jacklyn Liu, David Boniface, Jim Boardman, Duncan Boak, Aytug Altundag, Johannes Frasnelli, Simon Gane and 22 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewValidation Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International forum of allergy & rhinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Self-Reported Smell and Taste Disorders in the General Population: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

32 authors.

Matt LechnerDivision of Surgery and Interventional Science, UCL, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7123-0773
Alexander FjaeldstadDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Unit West, Central Denmark Region, Hospital Unit West, Holstebro, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-9135-6920
Umar RehmanDivision of Surgery and Interventional Science, UCL, London, UK.
Jacklyn LiuDivision of Surgery and Interventional Science, UCL, London, UK.
David BonifaceUCL, London, UK.
Jim BoardmanFifth Sense, Bicester, UK.
Duncan BoakFifth Sense, Bicester, UK.
Aytug AltundagDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Biruni University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
Johannes FrasnelliDepartment of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.
Simon GaneRoyal National Ear Nose, Throat and Eastman Dental Hospitals, London, UK.
Eric HolbrookMassachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7632-2204
Julien HsiehDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
Caroline HuartDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
Iordanis Konstantinidis2nd Academic ORL Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Basile N LandisDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6034-3724
Valerie J LundUCL, London, UK.
Alberto MacchiENT Department, ASST Sette Laghi, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
Eri MoriDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID 0000-0003-3273-3789
Christian MuellerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Joaquim MullolDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Simona NegoiasDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Zara M PatelDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2072-982X
Jayant M PintoDepartment of Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Sophia PolettiDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Vijay RamakrishnanDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2748-0705
Philippe RombauxDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Jan VodickaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Regional Hospital Pardubice and Faculty of Health Studies, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic.
Antje Welge-LuessenDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Katherine L WhitcroftDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1417-0049
Carol YanDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1934-4922
Carl PhilpottUniversity of East Anglia Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1125-3236
Thomas HummelDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Funding

Elucidating Olfactory Epithelial Anti-Viral Responses in Persistent Post-Viral Olfactory DysfunctionK08DC019956 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Carol H Yan · 2022 to 2026
$959k
NIDCD NIH HHS K08 DC019956
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlfactory dysfunction affects up to 22% of the population. Accurate assessment is vital for diagnosis and tracking outcomes, often using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

aimsWe aimed to develop and validate a novel questionnaire for assessing olfactory and gustatory dysfunction.

methodsA systematic review identified existing smell and taste questionnaires, followed by item generation and selection. After two Delphi cycles and consultation with a large panel of smell and taste experts, the Smell-Qx questionnaire was developed. A validation study recruited patients from smell and taste clinics (cases) and general ENT clinics (controls) to complete the Smell-Qx. Additionally, patients with smell and taste disorders underwent psychophysical testing using Sniffin' Stick Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification (TDI) tests.

resultsThe Smell-Qx is an 11-domain instrument, with five core domains used for total score calculation and six history/quality-of-life domains for obtaining a comprehensive history. The validation study recruited 60 participants (32 patients with smell/taste disorders and 28 controls). Items showed acceptable to significant internal consistency (Cronbach's α: 0.64-0.97) and test-retest reliability (ICC: 0.65-0.99, p < 0.001). The Smell-Qx was effective at distinguishing patients with smell and taste disorders from controls (t = 9.99, df = 58, p < 0.0001). Concurrent criterion validity was good with overall SATD-related quality of life (r = 0.43, p = 0.015), as well as with the smell loss domain and overall smell TDI scores (r = -0.54, p = 0.011).

conclusionThe Smell-Qx is a reliable and valid PROM for assessing olfactory and self-reported gustatory disorders, capturing symptom severity and quality-of-life impact. It can integrate into a multi-modal assessment approach alongside psychophysical testing.

Indexed as

Olfaction DisordersTaste DisordersAdultAgedClinical Trials as TopicFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsSmellSurveys and Questionnairesgustatory dysfunctionolfactory dysfunctionpatient‐reported outcome measures

Identifiers

PMID40344493
PMCPMC12401079

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.