Communication and documentation
SBAR
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
The standard structure for handing information to another clinician, designed so an urgent call has the same shape every time and nothing important is left to the end.
What each letter stands for
- 1 Situation — who the patient is and what is happening right now.
- 2 Background — the context that makes the situation make sense.
- 3 Assessment — what you think is going on.
- 4 Recommendation — what you are asking for.
How it gets tested
The R is the tested letter. A report that stops after the assessment is the most common wrong answer, because ending with a recommendation feels presumptuous and is exactly what the tool is for.
Related terms
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