Situation Background Assessment Recommendation (SBAR) Toolkit

Format(s): Guide

The SBAR toolkit on the Institute of Healthcare Improvement website contains a poster, lessons plans, detailed guidelines on the use of the SBAR technique and more.The Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) technique is a structured communication model allowing individuals to convey a great deal of information in a succinct and brief manner. This technique is used when asking healthcare team members for help or guidance with a patient care issue. It has been designed to improve listening. The acronym is broken down as follows:

S=Situation (a concise statement of the problem)

B=Background (pertinent and brief information related to the situation)

A=Assessment (analysis and consideration of options – what you found/think)

R=Recommendation (action requested/recommended – what you want)

  • Link: http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Tools/sbartoolkit.aspx
  • Author(s): Kaiser Permanente
  • Copyright: 2017 Institute for Healthcare Improvement
  • Access: Free registration and login are required to download the tool.
  • Competencies: Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Interprofessional Communication
  • Assessment Methods:
  • Instructional Methods: Self-directed Learning