#2768 Multicentric validation of an Italian version of the uremic pruritus in dialysis patients (UP-Dial) questionnaire

Abstract Background and Aims Uremic pruritus is a prevalent and distressing symptom among patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD). Despite its significant negative impact on patients' quality of life, it remains an often-underestimated issue in clinical practice. Various tools are available to assess pruritus in a general setting. In uremic patients, the only validated instrument for evaluating the severity and clinical impact of pruritus, the uremic pruritus in dialysis patients (UP-Dial) was made available in 2017. To date, it has only been validated in English language and in a Polish version (Świerczyńska K. et al. 2022). The objective of this study was to translate and validate an Italian version of the UP-Dial questionnaire. Method The translation process followed international guidelines, involving forward and backward translations to ensure linguistic and conceptual equivalence. The validation study was conducted on a multicentre cohort of 182 haemodialysis patients experiencing uremic pruritus from seven HD units located in different hospitals in the Calabria region (Italy). To assess reliability, respondents completed the questionnaire twice, with a 7-day interval between assessments. Results The Italian version of the UP-Dial questionnaire demonstrated excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.91 for the total score. Test-retest reliability was also high, as indicated by an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.92. These findings confirm the robustness and reproducibility of the translated instrument, making it a reliable tool for assessing uremic pruritus in Italian-speaking patients (Table 1). Conclusion The Italian version of the UP-Dial questionnaire is a valid, reliable, and reproducible instrument for evaluating uremic pruritus. It can be effectively utilized in both research settings and routine clinical practice to better assess and manage pruritus in HD patients.