Problem

Reporting
Students have problems giving a succinct,
meaningful report.
Too many aeh, mhh, and scattered data
Literature supports that nurses giving
unstructured report create communication
problems
Conclusion:

• Communication is key to
continuity and quality of care
• Students report is often scattered
and choppy
• Reports by students need
improvement.
Solution

S
B
A
R

A method of report used by the NAVY

SBAR

• S= Situation
• B=Background
• A- Assessment
• R= Recommendation
S----Situation
• Calling the M.D.
“My name is Junie B. Jones. I am a student nurse
with Central Texas College. I am calling from
Metroplex Hospital regarding Ms. Kelly in R. 208.
There may be a problem with her discharge”
Or
• Nurse-to-Nurse report
“I am the student nurse who took care of Ms. Kelly
today and I would like to give you end-of-shift
report”.
Situation

• This part of the report aims to orient the

person who is receiving report to the
situation. It’s like a picture frame.
B---Background
• “Ms. Kelly is a 74 year old white female
who came here yesterday through the ER.
Admitting Dx was infected diabetic ulcer
left foot. She is a insulin dependent
diabetic, and has a hx of CHF and COPD”.

Filling the
frame with a
background
color
Assessment
• “Her vital signs are within normal limits. Her lungs
are clear. Pitting edema to both feet and ankles is
unchanged from yesterday, +1. No weight gain
since yesterday. Her Fasting BS was 260 but
dropped to 120 before lunch. She states that her
FBS’s have been between 200 and 300 for the
last 5 days. We called Dr. X but she didn’t want
Ms. Kelly do be put on sliding scale. We’ll
continue to check the FBS four times a day and
notify the MD if > 300”.
Assessment
• “Her wound is a 4x 5x 3 cm to the medial aspect
of the left foot. Wound bed is 90% covered with
grey-yellow slough and 10% beefy-red. The edges
are thickened and rolled under. The surrounding
tissue is swollen and red in a 15 cm area all the
way around the edges. We are irrigating with
NSS, then covering with wet-to-dry gauze and
securing with Kerlix three times a day. She
tolerates the dressing changes well. Since
yesterday the redness has decreased. Also, there
is no foul odor to the drainage anymore. She is on
Keflex 400 mg IV three times a day”.
Painting
a picture
of the
client
Filling in the assessment with
other/ e.g. environmental aspects
• “She lives by herself and is financially
very limited. She states that sometimes
she doesn’t have enough money to buy
all her meds and thus has not been
compliant with all her meds. Also, diet is
an issue; she does not know how to
calculate a 1800 ADA diet. She drinks 3-4
regular cokes a day”.
R-
Recommendations/Questions/Concerns
• “We notified the dietician but he hasn’t
called back yet. He ought to come as soon
as possible because Dr. X is planning on
discharging Ms. Kelly tomorrow. Also,
please call the social worker. Maybe Ms.
Kelly would be eligible for medication
assistance. When Dr. X comes to see her
ask him what she thinks about home care
for a while”.
Or—if the MD is on the phone

• “We are waiting for the dietician to see her

and for the social worker also. There seem
to be some financial problems with
affording medications and knowledge
deficit regarding her diet. I was wondering
what you thought about ordering home
care to see her for a couple of weeks to
assess this client and assist her with meds
and diet?”
The Goal

• Is to find some structure that students can

use to give report
• SBAR is just one structure