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SBAR in Healthcare: A Communication Guide

SBAR Communication Guide for Healthcare Teams

Every great safety culture starts with clear communication. Yet in busy healthcare organizations, even the most dedicated teams can struggle to stay aligned.

SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) is a simple, repeatable framework that helps nurses, physicians, and staff communicate effectively, especially in high-risk scenarios. This guide shows how your team can implement SBAR to improve communication, avoid preventable harm, and standardize workflows across your organization.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • How the SBAR method reduces communication breakdowns between care team members
  • Step-by-step guidance to integrate SBAR into daily workflows and improve communication outcomes
  • Example SBAR scripts that demonstrate how to apply the framework in real-world scenarios 

Fill out the form below to download the guide:

The Importance of SBAR in Healthcare

Eighty percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication during handoffs, underscoring the vital need for better communication in healthcare.

SBAR gives every team member—regardless of role—a shared language to quickly communicate essential information, whether during patient deterioration, consult calls, or department transfers. It eliminates ambiguity and ensures that all parties are aligned on their problem, background, and next steps.

Beyond improving communication between staff, SBAR in healthcare also builds confidence among staff and creates a culture where everyone knows what to say (and how to say it) when seconds matter most.

How SBAR Contributes to Safety

SBAR helps address the risk that miscommunication poses to patient safety by making it easier to report concerns, escalate issues, and avoid confusion during handoffs or when transferring patients between departments, ensuring no critical detail is overlooked. By standardizing communication protocols in an easy and digestible way, SBAR also strengthens accountability and transparency across care teams.

It reduces cognitive overload during stressful situations and ensures that decisions are made with accurate, concise information. It also ensures consistency by ensuring that all parties are on the same page with the information they have.

The result? Streamlined communication, more confident teams, and safer patients.

 

Get the Guide

 

Discover how to implement SBAR effectively within your organization. Complete the form at the top of this page to access the full guide, including practical examples and communication scripts your team can start using today.

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