There are many assessment tools available to measure emesis. This Association for Palliative Medicine Science Committee Task Group undertook a review of the validity and suitability of the assessment tools available to measure nausea, vomiting and retching within a palliative care population. Electronic databases were searched from 1970 to 2004. Both specific and global tools were identified and reviewed for their validity, reliability and suitability for our patient population where coexisting cognitive impairment and significant co-morbidities may make accurate assessment of symptoms difficult. Within specific palliative care scenarios namely daily clinical assessment, prevalence surveys and randomized controlled trial settings, the team reached a consensus on which tools had the greatest evidence to recommend them, either for immediate use or for further validation studies. An ideal measurement tool for the assessment of nausea, vomiting and retching has not yet been developed.