Using SBAR Communications in Efforts to Prevent Patient Rehospitalizations

Abstract

Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) communication has become the standard for communicating across disciplines. It has demonstrated its effectiveness at improving patient outcomes, enhancing patient and clinician satisfaction, and helping to control healthcare costs. It can help home healthcare clinicians with efforts to prevent avoidable hospitalizations. But how often and how well do home health clinicians use this method of shared communications with physicians? This article explores why communication between physicians and home health clinicians can be so problematic. It introduces the SBAR communication method, its origins, its features, and some of the published evidence that it provides effective and efficient communication, thereby promoting better patient outcomes.

Introduction of Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation into Nursing Practice: A Prospective Study

“…SBAR communication has become a standard, across disciplines as a mode of hands off communication. [9] Use of standardized hands off communication during bedside shift handover is essential for patient safety, as the benefits for patients outweigh the risks and cost of implementation. [14] The patient, who is the focus of all interaction, should be involved in decision-making and updated with information relevant to them, which in turn will help in reducing errors and create a sense of well-being and satisfaction.…”

“…[9] SBAR communication method is an evidence-based strategy for improving not only interprofessional communication, but all communication[10] especially when combined with good assessment skills, clinical judgment, and critical-thinking skills. Nursing documentation must describe patient's ongoing status from shift to shift with records of all nursing interventions.…”

“…Nursing documentation must describe patient's ongoing status from shift to shift with records of all nursing interventions. [9] In India, no such data was available. Therefore, the aim of this study was to introduce and evaluate the compliance to effective use of SBAR form during nurses’ handover in a tertiary care cancer center.…”

Bringing the R Back to SBAR: A Focused Heart Failure SBAR Tool

“…Current evidence supports the use of the SBAR tool as an effective way to improve communicate with providers. 4 SBAR presents a standardized format for interdisciplinary communication to occur when discussing patient concerns with providers. The primary objective for SBAR is to improve communication and to “provide accurate concise information about a patient’s care, treatment, current condition and any recent anticipated changes.” 5 Ensuring this tool is being utilized effectively and appropriately can result in better communication with providers.…”

An Approach to Caring for Patients with Complex Comorbidities for Family Physician: The SBAR4 model

“…e SBAR model for communication was developed in 2002 to facilitate interdisciplinary communication and to overcome the barriers caused by care fragmentation and the hierarchical organisation in healthcare. 12 Since its introduction, it has been widely adopted by various care professionals and institutions to improve patient outcome especially in situations where there are multiple stakeholders caring for the same patient, when there are co-morbidities, and where clear communications are critical. It is also widely recognised to be highly relevant in situations requiring handover of care and in the transitioning of care for e SBAR therefore can be used as an initiating framework for managing complex co-morbidities but it requires augmentation to make it more e ective in managing patients with complex care needs.…”