SBAR Review

The SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) technique provides a framework for communication between members of the health care team about a patient's condition. SBAR is an easy-to-remember, concrete mechanism useful for framing any conversation, especially critical ones, requiring a clinician’s immediate attention and action. It allows for an easy and focused way to set expectations for what will be communicated and how between members of the team, which is essential for developing teamwork and fostering a culture of patient safety.
From: SBAR Technique for Communications -- a Situational Briefing Model

Other SBAR information:

• Talking the Talk: How Hospitals Use SBAR to Standardize Communication
• A Sample of How to Use SBAR
• SBAR report to physician about a critical situation (pdf)

Using SBAR for more effective professional communication

SBAR is a standardized way of communicating with other healthcare givers. It promotes patient safety because it helps physicians and nurses communicate with each other. Staff and physicians can use SBAR to share what information is important about a patient. It improves efficiency because this standardized form of communication helps caregivers speak about patients in a concise and complete way.

Utilized extensively in medicine, and originating from the nuclear submarine service, SBAR stands for:

• Situation
• Background
• Assessment
• Recommendation

A sample of how to use SBAR

Talking the Talk — Hospitals Use SBAR to Standardize Communication (from NurseWeek)