Tip of the week: Improve physician-nurse communication with the SBAR tool
Medical Staff Leader Connection, April 1, 2009
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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.
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