Tip of the week: Improve physician-nurse communication with the SBAR tool

The SBAR tool, developed by Dr. M. Leonard and colleagues, has proven to be an effective standardized communication tool for healthcare providers. The elements of the tool are as follows:

Situation: What is gong on with the patient?
Background: What is the clinical background or context?
Assessment: What do I think the problem is?
Recommendation: What would I do to correct the problem?

Here’s an example of a nurse using the SBAR method while communicating with a physician regarding a patient’s condition:

Situation: “Dr. Jones, I’m calling about Mr. Smith, who is has unstable vital signs.”

Background: “He is a 45-year-old man who had gastric bypass surgery today. He has developed abdominal swelling, and his vital signs have changed in the past hour.”

Assessment: “I don’t hear any bowel signs. His abdomen is swollen and distended. His blood pressure is 100 over 60 and falling. His pulse is 104 beats per minute.

Recommendation: “I need you to see him right now. I think he has an anastomatic leak.”

Today’s tip is adapted from The Medical Staff Leaders’ Practical Guide, Sixth Edition by William K. Cors, MD, MMM, FACPE, CMSL; Mary J. Hoppa, MD, MBA, CMSL; and Richard A. Sheff, MD, CMSL.