AneSBAR Handoff Rubric for Nurse Anesthesia Students

Abstract

Background: Poorly executed handoffs, particularly those omitting important clinical information or conveying ambiguous instructions, increase the risk of adverse events among anesthetized patients. Currently, there are no specific standards for the training and assessment of anesthesia care handoff among student registered nurse anesthetists. The Anesthesia SBAR (AneSBAR) Handoff Rubric was developed to assess nurse anesthesia students on their SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) reporting skills. Method: Nine anesthesia professionals participated in instrument validation. Thirty-four nurse anesthesia students participated in simulations involving patient handoff. Anesthesia professionals were surveyed on validity of the rubric. Nurse anesthesia students practiced simulated performances of surgical patient handoff and were rated using the rubric. Results: The rubric was determined reliable and valid. Conclusion: The AneSBAR Rubric may be useful to teach, assess, and implement in simulation as a cognitive aid to assure complete and accurate transfer of patient information.