A structured shift handoff using situation, background, assessment and recommendation.
SBAR is a widely used way to structure communication, especially in healthcare. It keeps handoffs short and complete.
This page is a communication structure, not clinical guidance. Follow your facility’s handoff policy and documentation rules.
13 items. Complete it digitally or on paper, whichever your team prefers.
At shift change in a care home, the outgoing aide reports that a resident ate little at dinner (situation), has had a cold for two days (background), seems more tired than usual (assessment), and recommends the nurse checks in at 9 pm (recommendation). The incoming aide reads it back.
Health care safety bodies have long pointed to poor handoff communication as a source of errors, and SBAR gives the outgoing and incoming person the same four-part structure every time. The read-back and names make it clear who accepted responsibility for the follow-up.
| Setting and time | Willow Creek Assisted Living, Tucson, 7 pm handoff |
|---|---|
| Situation | Room 12 resident found on bathroom floor at 6:15 pm |
| Background | Dizziness reported this week; on blood pressure medication |
| Assessment | Alert, no visible injury, says left hip sore |
| Recommendation | Nurse assess by 7:30 pm; family called at 6:40 pm |
| Read-back | Done by incoming aide Lisa |
| Names | Outgoing Jay, incoming Lisa, 7:04 pm |
The background line mentions the blood pressure medication because it may explain the dizziness, which is the kind of detail that gets lost in an unstructured handoff.
Situation, background, assessment, recommendation.
No, it works for any handoff or escalation.
A minute or two per person or issue.
Per your organization’s policy.
The receiver repeats the key points, especially the recommendation, times and names, and the sender confirms them. It catches errors such as 7:30 heard as 7:00. The close section of the form records that it happened.
Yes, the four headings work well in a written log or message, as long as each note has the time and the sender’s name. Writing the recommendation as a specific request, such as nurse to assess by 7:30 pm, keeps the note from being just a description.
More for the same job
Use the SBAR handoff template for the record you need today. To see who clocked in, and when, book a demo of EZTime.