Dictate the call. Get the record.
After the call, dictate what you reported and what was agreed. Vero writes it up in your SBAR template, orders and all, for you to check and copy into the chart.
SBAR Template
SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) structures an urgent conversation about a patient. Use it to prepare a call, a handoff, or a transfer, then to record what was agreed.
- Free, no account needed
- Word and text downloads
- Three filled examples
Blank SBAR template
FreeSBAR Patient: [Name] Date of birth or ID: [Identifier] Location: [Unit and room, or home] From: [Your name and role] To: [Recipient's name and role] Date and time: [Date, time] SITUATION I'm calling about: [Patient name, location] The problem is: [What is happening now, in one sentence] Vital signs: [BP, HR, RR, temperature, SpO2, pain, level of consciousness] I'm concerned because: [Why you are calling now] BACKGROUND Reason for care: [Admitting diagnosis or reason for the visit] Relevant history: [Key conditions, recent procedures] Current treatment: [Medications, IV fluids, oxygen, lines and drains] Allergies: [Drug and other allergies] Code status: [Code status] Recent results: [Labs or imaging, with times] What has changed: [Since the last assessment] ASSESSMENT What I think is happening: [Your clinical impression] How worried I am: [Stable, unstable, or getting worse; early warning score if your unit uses one] RECOMMENDATION I'm requesting: [Review in person within a set time, tests, a change in treatment, or a transfer] Questions: [What you need answered] Orders received: [Read back and confirmed] When to call again: [A time, or the change that should prompt another call] Documented by: [Name, role, date and time]
Use it for
- Calls to a physician
- Shift handoffs
- Transfers between units
- Rapid response calls
- Home and community care
Three filled examples. Every part, filled in.
Each one follows the template. Use them to judge how much detail every part needs.
SBAR: possible sepsis on a medical ward
Hospital ward, nurse to on-call physician, 02:10
Situation
I’m calling about the patient in room 412, an 81-year-old man. Since midnight he has become confused and has a new fever: T 38.9 °C (102 °F), HR 118, BP 92/54 (134/78 this evening), RR 26, SpO2 93% on room air. I’m concerned he is developing sepsis.
Background
Admitted 2 days ago with cellulitis of the left leg, on IV cefazolin. History of type 2 diabetes and heart failure. No known drug allergies. Full code. White count 14.2 this morning. The redness has spread past the marked border.
Assessment
I think he is septic and getting worse. His qSOFA score is 3: new confusion, RR 26, systolic BP 92.
Recommendation
Please come and see him within 15 minutes. Can I take blood cultures and a lactate, and start a fluid bolus while you’re on your way? I’ll repeat his vital signs every 15 minutes and call you at once if his blood pressure drops further.
Outcome
Physician to attend within 15 minutes. Verbal orders for blood cultures, lactate, and a 500 mL normal saline bolus, read back and confirmed at 02:12.
SBAR: handoff after a knee replacement
Orthopedic ward, nurse to nurse, 19:00
Situation
Bed 7, a 67-year-old woman, day 1 after a right total knee replacement. Stable today. Pain 3 out of 10 at rest and 6 with physical therapy. Vital signs normal all shift.
Background
History of hypertension and osteoarthritis. Allergic to codeine (rash). Full code. Oral pain medication as needed, last given at 16:00. Daily blood-thinner injection given at 17:00. Walked to the bathroom with a walker. Voiding without difficulty. Dressing dry and intact.
Assessment
Recovering as expected. Pain with movement is the main issue. No signs of bleeding or a clot.
Recommendation
Give pain medication 30 minutes before her 08:00 physical therapy session. Check circulation, movement, and sensation in her right foot every 4 hours. Hemoglobin is due in the morning. She hopes to go home tomorrow, so please confirm her ride and her equipment at home.
SBAR: worsening heart failure at home
Home care, nurse to family physician by phone
Situation
I’m calling about a 74-year-old man I visit at home for heart failure. His weight is up 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) in 3 days, his ankles are more swollen, and he is short of breath walking to the kitchen. BP 142/88, HR 96 and regular, RR 22, SpO2 93% on room air (usually 96%). No chest pain.
Background
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and type 2 diabetes. Takes furosemide 40 mg every morning and his other medications as prescribed. He ate salty food at a family event this weekend. Kidney function was normal 3 weeks ago.
Assessment
I think he is retaining fluid and his heart failure is getting worse. He is comfortable at rest.
Recommendation
Could you adjust his diuretic, and see him in the next day or two? I’d like an order for blood tests for kidney function and electrolytes. I’ve told him to call 911 if he is short of breath at rest or has chest pain. I’ll weigh him again tomorrow and call you with the result.
Outcome
Furosemide increased to 40 mg twice daily for 3 days; creatinine and electrolytes tomorrow. Orders read back and confirmed. Clinic visit booked for Thursday.
What goes in each part.
Situation
Who you are, who the patient is, and the problem, in a sentence or two. Lead with what worries you.
- Your name, role, and unit
- The patient’s name, age, and location
- The problem, with the current vital signs
- Why you are calling now
Avoid: Starting with the history. The listener should know the problem within seconds.
Background
Only the context the listener needs to understand the problem.
- The reason for admission or care
- Relevant history and recent procedures
- Current medications, fluids, oxygen, and lines
- Allergies and code status
- Recent results, and what has changed
Avoid: Reading out the whole chart. Pick what bears on this problem.
Assessment
What you think is happening, and how worried you are.
- Your impression, even if you aren’t sure
- Whether the patient is stable, unstable, or getting worse
- An early warning score, if your unit uses one
Avoid: Leaving the listener to work it out. Say it: “I think this is sepsis,” or “I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m worried.”
Recommendation
What you need, and by when.
- A specific request: a review in person within a set time, tests, a change in treatment, or a transfer
- Orders read back and confirmed
- When to call again, or what change should prompt another call
Avoid: Ending without a clear request. “Just letting you know” leaves the decision open.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
Calling unprepared
Have the chart, the latest vital signs, the medication list, and recent results in front of you before you call.
Burying the concern
Say the problem and why you are worried first. The background comes after.
No clear request
Ask for something specific, with a time frame: “Please see him within 15 minutes.”
Not reading back orders
Repeat verbal and phone orders back, and get them confirmed, before you hang up.
Not recording the call
Record the time, who you spoke with, what you reported, the orders you received, and the plan.
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Frequently asked questions.
What does SBAR stand for?
Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. It’s a structured way to tell another clinician what is happening with a patient, why it matters, what you think, and what you need.
When should nurses use SBAR?
Whenever you need someone to act on a patient’s condition: a call to a physician or nurse practitioner, an escalation or rapid response call, a shift handoff, or a transfer to another unit or facility.
What is the difference between SBAR and ISBAR?
ISBAR adds Identify at the start: your name, role, and location, and the patient’s name and identifiers. Some organizations also end with a Read-back of the plan and orders (ISBARR).
Should an SBAR call be documented?
Yes. Record the time, who you spoke with, what you reported, any orders you received and read back, and the plan you agreed. The last part of the template is set up for this.
Is SBAR only for nurses?
No. Physicians, pharmacists, therapists, paramedics, and students use it too, for calls, consults, and handoffs.
Where does SBAR come from?
SBAR started in the US military and was adapted for healthcare by Kaiser Permanente in the early 2000s. Hospitals around the world now use it.
Is this SBAR template free?
Yes. Copy it, or download it as a Word or text file. No account needed.
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