title: Postoperative nausea and vomiting: Validation of the Portuguese version of the Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Intensity Score.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) Intensity Scale was developed to define clinically important PONV. The aim of this study was to translate, retranslate and validate the PONV Intensity Scale for use in Portuguese Post Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU) settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  The PONV Intensity Scale was translated and back-translated in accordance with available guidelines. The research team conducted an observational and cohort prospective study in a PACU. One-hundred fifty-seven adult patients admiited after surgery over three weeks were evaluated for PONV. Measurements included nausea visual analogic scale (VAS) at 6 and 24 hours, postoperatively. We assessed reliability and observer disagreement using interclass correlation (ICC) and Information-Based Measure of Disagreement (IBMD). We compared VAS scores between patients with clinically significant (≥50) and not significant (<50) PONV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine patients (25%) had PONV at 6 hours and 54 (34%) had PONV at 24 hours. Thirty-six and 54 patients experienced nausea at 6 and 24 hours, respectively. Among patients with PONV, 6 patients (15%) and 9 patients (27%) had a clinically significant PONV intensity scale score at 6 and at 24 hours, respectively. The reliability was good both for PONV intensity scale score and for VAS and observer disagreement was slightly higher for VAS. The median nausea VAS scores were higher in patients with clinically significant PONV Intensity score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PONV Intensity Scale appears to be an accurate and reliable assessment and monitoring instrument for PONV in the PACU settings.
authors.affiliation: MD; Department of Anesthesiology - Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Veiga
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dalila
authors.affiliation: MD; Department of Anesthesiology - Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Helder
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: MD; Department of Anesthesiology - Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: MD; Department of Anesthesiology - Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Clarisse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martinho
authors.affiliation: PhD; Department of Information Sciences and Health Decisions, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: MD; Department of Anesthesiology - Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal; PhD; Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care Unit - Surgical Department of Medical School of Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: fernando.abelha@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fernando José
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Abelha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
keywords: Postoperative Care; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting; Questionnaires; Recovery Room