Psychometric properties of the Ambulatory Surgery Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching

Background and Purpose: At least one-third of ambulatory surgery patients will experience nausea or vomiting during the recovery period. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Ambulatory Surgery Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (AS-INVR). Methods: Secondary analysis of longitudinal data from a study of 203 adult ambulatory surgery patients was conducted. Results: Based on the results of factor analysis, the retching item was eliminated and the 6-item, 2-dimensional AS-INV was formed. Cronbach's alphas for the AS-INV ranged from .83 to .87 across the 5 days postsurgery. Higher AS-INV scores were associated with self-reported presence of nausea and lower quality of life. Conclusions: The shortened AS-INV provides a reliable and valid measure of the amount and distress because of nausea and vomiting in adult patients after ambulatory surgery and should be considered for use in future studies.