The swallowing outcome after laryngectomy (SOAL) questionnaire is a simple, self-administered tool to assess swallowing function post-total laryngectomy. Further specific testing with a laryngectomy cohort is necessary for full validation. Its potential value lies in screening for dysphagia in clinics or during long-term follow-up of laryngectomees.

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. patient-reported outcome measure in a large group of people with laryngectomy. Permanent repository linkDesign: cross-sectional psychometric study.Participants: Laryngectomy patients (minimum 3-months post-treatment) attending routine hospital followup.Main outcome measure: psychometric evaluation of SOAL.Results: One hundred and ten people participated. Thirteen percent had a laryngectomy, 63% had laryngectomy with radiotherapy, and 24% had laryngectomy with chemoradiation therapy. The SOAL showed good quality of data (minimal missing data and floor effects); good internal consistency (=.91); and adequate test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient =.73). In terms of validity, it differentiated people by treatment group (F(2,85)=8.02, p=0.001) and diet texture group (t(102)=-7.33, p<0.001). Conclusions:The SOAL demonstrates good validity and has potential for use in research. Further study is required to determine its clinical application.