Contributing to Research
Help validate the Appearance Anxiety Questionnaire and advance evidence-based practice in aesthetic medicine.
The Appearance Anxiety Questionnaire (AAQ) represents a new approach to screening for appearance-related concerns in aesthetic settings. Unlike existing measures, the AAQ is specifically designed for use in aesthetic clinics, focusing on features that may indicate potential contraindications for cosmetic procedures.
By using this platform, you are contributing to the largest validation study of appearance anxiety screening in aesthetic medicine. Your participation helps establish:
- Normative data across diverse populations and clinic types
- Evidence-based triage thresholds for clinical decision support
- Psychometric properties including reliability and validity coefficients
- Cross-cultural applicability across UK, US, and Australian settings
Validated screening tools help identify patients who may benefit from additional support or evaluation before proceeding with aesthetic treatments.
Contributing data helps establish reliable clinical thresholds, moving aesthetic medicine toward more rigorous, evidence-based screening practices.
Multi-site validation across different countries and clinic types ensures the AAQ is applicable and reliable in diverse clinical settings.
What We Collect
- • Anonymised assessment scores
- • De-identified demographics (age band, sex)
- • Clinic type and country
- • Assessment timepoint and instrument type
What We Never Collect
- • Patient names or contact details
- • Clinic names or identifiers
- • Any directly identifying information
- • Individual patient records
K-Anonymity Protection
All research exports are subject to k-anonymity standards (minimum group size of 5), ensuring that individual responses can never be traced back to specific patients or clinics. This means data is only included in research when there are at least 5 similar records, making re-identification statistically impossible.
The AAQ is currently in the validation phase. This means:
- Results should support, not replace, clinical judgement. The AAQ is a screening tool designed to flag potential concerns, not provide diagnosis.
- Thresholds may be refined. As validation data accumulates, triage cut-offs and severity bands may be adjusted to optimise clinical utility.
- Your use contributes to validation. Every assessment helps establish the psychometric properties needed for full clinical adoption.
Register Your Clinic
Research contribution is enabled by default
Conduct Assessments
Use the AAQ with your patients as normal
Data Contributes Automatically
Anonymised data is added to the research database
You can manage your research contribution settings at any time from your clinic Settings page. Opting out does not affect your access to the platform or the quality of your clinical reports.
Ready to Get Started?
Join clinics worldwide in validating the AAQ and improving patient care.