A large portion of the general population shows olfactory dysfunction. Hence, it is important to find the best treatment for every patient, starting with a precise and reliable assessment of the disorder. Despite of this, in a clinical context, often there is no place in daily routine for time-consuming procedures. This study aimed to examine if the assessment of olfactory function using the “Sniffin’ Sticks” is suitable for self-assessment by the patients. “Sniffin’ Sticks” (based on marker-like odor-dispensers) comprise odor threshold, discrimination and identification (TDI) testing designed for execution by medical staff. For this study a TDI set was split into two parts, each containing a modified version of the original set. In the first part medical staff administered the pens, whereas in the second part participants applied the test themselves. The sessions were repeated to assess test-retest reliability; 84 healthy subjects and 37 patients with olfactory dysfunction completed both sessions. Sniffin’ Sticks self-assessment was efficient in distinguishing between self-reported healthy subjects and patients with olfactory dysfunction (p’s<0.01). The overall self-administered Sniffin’ Sticks test exhibited excellent test-retest reliability (ICC=0.90, p<0.01) and strong correlation with the assisted assessment (r=0.80 to 0.83, p’s<0.05). The “Sniffin’ Sticks” test battery is suitable for self-assessment rendering olfactory testing more cost effective and thus more appealing to its broad application in larger segments of patients.
Key words: Self-assessment, Self-test, Sniffin’ Sticks, Olfactory dysfunction, Test-retest reliability
There is no funding for the current study.