Diagnostic Test of Taste and Smell Dysfunction Questionnaire for Detecting Dysgeusia and Anosmia in Hemodialysis Patients

Objective: The Taste and Smell Dysfunction Questionnaire (TSDQ) has proven effective in identifying taste and smell dysfunction, especially among patients undergoing hemodialysis, and is considered a valid and reliable assessment tool. The Taste Strip Test (TST) and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) are acknowledged as gold standards in research, exhibiting high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of dysgeusia and anosmia. However, the implementation of these gold standards in Indonesia is restricted by their high costs. Consequently, the TSDQ is anticipated to serve as a more economical and practical alternative for the prompt and accurate detection of dysgeusia and anosmia. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall accuracy of the Indonesian version of the TSDQ. Methods: The design of this study was cross-sectional with Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), Area Under the Curve (AUC), and cut-off point analysis. These analyses were performed to determine the contingency table 2×2 to obtain the diagnostic test value. Results: The study demonstrated that the Indonesian version of the TSDQ for detecting dysgeusia and anosmia exhibited a sensitivity of (84.9%); (89.2%), specificity of (85.3%); (90.5%), PPV of (83.1%); (81.6%), and NPV of (86.9%); (94.6%). Overall accuracy rates were 85.1% for dysgeusia and 90.0% for anosmia, respectively. Conclusion: The Bahasa Indonesia version of the TSDQ demonstrates good diagnostic performance when evaluated against gold standard tests (TST and UPSIT). These findings support its potential use as a practical and cost-effective screening tool for detecting dysgeusia and anosmia among hemodialysis patients, particularly in settings where reference testing is limited.