Introduction: The use of reliable and valid instruments is essential to help maintain quality research. The use of instruments developed in other contexts and languages requires a methodology of cultural and psychometric validation to guarantee the integrity of the studies.

Aim: The aim of the study was to translate and validate the Individualized Care Scale-patient (ICS-p) to be used in Portuguese acute care hospitals.

Methodology: A cross-sectional methodology has been used to validate the ICS-p. Permission to use the tool was obtained from Riita Suhonen. A forward-back translation method with committee approach and a cross-sectional study was used for transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation purposes. The back-translation was made by translators, who have concluded that it was equivalent. The content validity of the scale assessed by a panel of nurses, master's students and teachers of nursing, For ensuring that all items were easily understood by non-professionals, the scale was piloted to a group of twelve people who were not health professionals.

Results: The panel of experts found the translation to be equivalent and all items were considered to be relevant and clear. Face validity was assessed based on the non-health professionals’ opinion and minor revisions were made on some of the terms to ensure they were easily understood by the majority of the population.

Conclusions: The use of the translated and validated in the Portugese language version of the Individualized Care Scale can be used in healthcare settings in Portugal.