Your first SBAR report probably went something like: “Um, hi, this is… I have a patient… they don’t look great.”
We’ve all been there. You know something is wrong, but the second you pick up the phone, your brain goes blank. SBAR fixes that. It gives you a structure so you don’t freeze when you’re calling a provider at 3 AM about a patient whose blood pressure just tanked.
This post has everything: a free printable SBAR template, real examples from med-surg, ICU, and student clinicals, a pocket cheat sheet, and a way to go fully digital if paper templates aren’t cutting it anymore. (Full disclosure — SBAR is so fundamental to what we do at NurseBrain that our app was originally just called “SBAR App” before it grew into NurseBrain Synapse.)
What Does SBAR Stand For?
SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. It’s a structured communication tool originally developed by the U.S. Navy for nuclear submarines — where miscommunication isn’t just inconvenient, it’s catastrophic.
Healthcare adopted SBAR because the same principle applies. Unclear communication between nurses and providers is one of the leading causes of medical errors. The Joint Commission has pushed SBAR as a standard handoff tool since the mid-2000s, and most hospitals now require some version of it for nurse-to-provider calls and shift reports.
The SBAR Format, Section by Section
S — Situation: What’s happening right now?
This is your opening. State who you are, which patient you’re calling about, and what’s going on. Keep it tight. The provider doesn’t need your life story — they need the headline.
Include:
- Your name and unit
- Patient name, room number, age
- The reason you’re calling (one sentence)
- How urgent it is
“Hi Dr. Chen, this is Maria on 4 South. I’m calling about Mr. Rodriguez in 412. His systolic just dropped to 82 and he’s been increasingly confused over the last hour.”
B — Background: What’s the relevant history?
Give the provider what they need to understand the context. Think: what would I want to know if I were getting this call?
- Admitting diagnosis and date
- Relevant medical history
- Current meds (especially the ones that matter for this situation)
- Recent labs, vitals trend
- Allergies if relevant
- Code status
Don’t dump the entire chart. If you’re calling about a BP drop, the provider doesn’t need to know about the patient’s knee replacement in 2019. Filter for relevance.
A — Assessment: What do you think is going on?
This is the part that trips up new nurses. You’re not diagnosing — you’re sharing your clinical judgment. You’ve been with this patient for hours. You know something the provider doesn’t.
Phrases that work well:
- “I think this could be…”
- “I’m concerned about…”
- “This is a change from their baseline…”
- “The pattern I’m seeing suggests…”
Don’t hold back. “I’m concerned this is sepsis” is infinitely more useful than “the patient has some abnormal vitals.” Your assessment is what separates a good SBAR from a data dump.
R — Recommendation: What do you need?
Tell the provider what you’re asking for. This isn’t rude — it’s efficient. Come prepared with suggestions:
- “I’d like to get a stat CBC and lactate.”
- “Can we get a fluid bolus started?”
- “I think they need to be seen tonight.”
- “Would you like me to start the sepsis protocol?”
If you’re not sure what to recommend, try: “What would you like me to do?” That’s perfectly fine — especially early in your career. The important thing is that you called.
SBAR Examples for Nurses
Reading about SBAR is one thing. Hearing what it actually sounds like is another. Here are three examples from different units so you can see how the format adapts to different situations.
Med-Surg SBAR Example
“Hi, this is Jake, RN on 3 West. I’m calling about Mrs. Thompson in 308 — she’s a 67-year-old, post-op day 2 from a right total hip. Her temp just spiked to 101.8 and she’s reporting increased pain at the surgical site.
Background: she was doing well post-op, ambulating with PT, on scheduled Tylenol and PRN Norco. No known drug allergies. She was afebrile at 0800. WBC was 8.2 yesterday.
Assessment: I’m concerned about a possible surgical site infection. The incision looks more erythematous than it did on my last assessment and there’s some new serous drainage.
Recommendation: I’d like to get a wound culture, a stat CBC, and if you could come take a look at the site when you’re available, I think that’d be helpful.”
ICU SBAR Example
“Dr. Patel, this is Sarah in the MICU. I need you for Mr. Williams in bed 7 — this is urgent. He’s a 54-year-old admitted yesterday for acute pancreatitis, and his respiratory status is declining fast.
He was on 4L nasal cannula this morning. I’ve had to bump him to a 15L non-rebreather and his SpO2 is sitting at 89%. RR is 32, using accessory muscles. Background: he received 4 liters of LR overnight. Lipase was 2,400 on admission. No history of COPD or heart failure.
Assessment: I think he’s developing ARDS. His P/F ratio is tanking and this is day 2 of a severe pancreatitis course.
Recommendation: I think we need to intubate. Can you come assess him now? I’m having respiratory set up at bedside.”
SBAR Example for Nursing Students
If you’re a student, it’s completely normal to feel nervous making your first calls. The framework is exactly the same — just let them know you’re a student and that your preceptor is in the loop.
“Hi, this is Alex, student nurse working with my preceptor Diane on 5 North. I’m calling about Mr. Okafor in 520, a 45-year-old admitted for CHF exacerbation. His weight is up 3 kg from yesterday and he’s reporting increased shortness of breath.
Background: he’s on Lasix 40mg IV BID. His I&Os show he’s positive about 1,500 mL over the last 24 hours. BNP on admission was 1,200.
Assessment: It looks like he’s not responding well to the current diuretic dose — his fluid balance is still positive despite the BID Lasix.
Recommendation: Would you consider increasing the Lasix dose or adding a thiazide? My preceptor Diane agrees with this assessment.”
SBAR vs. SBARR vs. ISBAR: What’s the Difference?
You’ll run into a few variations of SBAR depending on your facility. They’re all built on the same bones — the differences are small but worth knowing.
SBARR (with Read-back)
The extra R stands for Read-back — after you get orders from the provider, you repeat them back to confirm:
“So to confirm: you’d like me to give a 500 mL NS bolus, recheck BP in 30 minutes, and call back if systolic is still below 90. Correct?”
Read-back is honestly something you should already be doing with every phone order regardless of which acronym your facility uses. SBARR just makes it an explicit step in the framework.
ISBAR (with Introduction)
ISBAR adds an Introduction step at the beginning. Before jumping into the situation, you formally identify yourself and the patient:
“Hi, this is Maria, RN on 4 South. I’m the primary nurse for Mr. Rodriguez in room 412. I need to speak with the on-call provider about a change in his condition.”
Then you move into Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation as usual. ISBAR is the standard in Australia and the UK, and a growing number of US hospitals have adopted it too. The idea is that a clear introduction up front sets the context and makes sure the provider knows exactly who they’re talking to before you get into the clinical details.
Bottom line: use whichever version your facility requires. The core S-B-A-R framework is the same across all of them — the variations just add a step at the beginning or end to make communication even tighter.
For a deeper dive into SBAR handoffs specifically, check out our guide on how to give a nursing handoff report using SBAR.
Free SBAR Template (Printable)
Here’s a clean template you can print out or screenshot. Fill it in before you pick up the phone. You’ll sound ten times more organized, and you’ll be less likely to forget something important.
Want a ready-made PDF version? Grab one from our free brain sheet library — or build your own custom template in the app if you want fields specific to your unit.
| Section | Fill In |
|---|---|
| S — SITUATION |
Nurse name & unit: ___________________ Patient name, room, age: ___________________ Code status: ___________________ Reason for call: ___________________ Urgency level: ___________________ |
| B — BACKGROUND |
Admission date & diagnosis: ___________________ Relevant PMH: ___________________ Current meds: ___________________ Recent vitals trend: ___________________ Recent labs: ___________________ Allergies: ___________________ |
| A — ASSESSMENT |
Current VS: ___________________ Changes from baseline: ___________________ I think this could be: ___________________ |
| R — RECOMMENDATION |
I’m requesting: ___________________ Orders to read back: ___________________ |
Print tip: Hit Ctrl+P (or Cmd+P on Mac), set it to print just this section, and you’ve got a template you can photocopy for your whole unit. Or just screenshot the table on your phone. If you’d rather skip the paper entirely, NurseBrain Synapse’s digital brain sheets have these same fields built in — fill them out on your phone and they’re always with you.
SBAR Cheat Sheet (Pocket Reference)
Tape this inside your badge holder or keep it folded in your pocket. When you’re about to make a call, glance at it for 10 seconds and you’ll have your structure.
| SBAR Quick Reference | |
|---|---|
| S | State who you are + why you’re calling (one sentence) |
| B | Diagnosis, relevant meds, recent labs/vitals (only what matters) |
| A | Your clinical impression — “I’m concerned about…” |
| R | What you need — “Can we get…?” / “I’d recommend…” |
Pro tips from the floor:
- Write it down before you call. Even experienced nurses do this. It’s not weakness — it’s how you avoid rambling.
- Have the chart open when you dial. Nothing kills your credibility faster than “hold on, let me look that up.”
- Lead with urgency when it’s urgent. “I need you at bedside now” is a perfectly valid opening.
- Don’t apologize for calling. “Sorry to bother you” undermines your message. You’re advocating for your patient — that’s literally the job.
- If the provider pushes back and you’re still worried, escalate. Every hospital has a chain of command policy. Use it. Nurses who advocate save lives.
Go Digital With Your SBAR
Paper templates are great until they’re not. They get lost in your pocket, your handwriting becomes illegible three hours into a shift, and good luck searching through a pile of crumpled notes during a rapid response.
We actually built NurseBrain Synapse to solve exactly this problem. The app started out as “SBAR App” — literally just a way to organize SBAR reports on your phone instead of paper. It eventually grew into a full clinical workflow tool with brain sheets, voice charting, and an AI assistant, but SBAR is still at the core of everything.
Your brain sheets come with SBAR fields built in. You fill in your patient info at the start of shift, update it throughout the day, and when you need to call a provider, all your S-B-A-R data is right there — organized by patient, searchable, and actually legible. No more scribbling on the back of your assignment sheet.
You can also customize your own SBAR template in the builder if the default doesn’t match your unit’s workflow — add fields, remove what you don’t need, and save it for your whole team.
It’s free to start, and it runs on iPhone, Android, and the web.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SBAR in nursing?
SBAR is a structured communication framework — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — that nurses use when calling providers or giving shift handoff reports. It keeps your communication organized so nothing critical gets missed during the conversation.
What does SBAR stand for in nursing?
Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. Some facilities use SBARR, where the extra R stands for Read-back — repeating the provider’s orders back to confirm you heard them correctly.
How do I write an SBAR?
Start by identifying the situation (why you’re calling), gather relevant background (diagnosis, meds, recent labs), form your assessment (what you think is going on), and prepare your recommendation (what you’re asking for). Write it down before you call — it makes a huge difference, especially when you’re new.
Why is SBAR important in nursing?
Miscommunication is a leading cause of medical errors. SBAR gives both the nurse and the provider a shared mental model so critical information doesn’t fall through the cracks. Research consistently shows that structured communication tools like SBAR reduce adverse events and improve patient outcomes.
When should I use SBAR?
Anytime you’re communicating about a patient’s condition — calling a provider about a change in status, giving a shift handoff, transferring a patient to another unit, or escalating a concern up the chain. If patient safety is involved, SBAR is the right call.
Can nursing students use SBAR?
Yes, and you should. SBAR is taught in most nursing programs, and using it during clinical rotations shows your preceptor you can communicate professionally. Just mention that you’re a student and that your preceptor is aware — providers appreciate the heads-up and they’ll often be more patient with you.
Is there a digital SBAR template?
Yes — that’s actually why NurseBrain Synapse exists. The app was originally built as a digital SBAR tool and has since grown into a full brain sheet and clinical documentation app. SBAR fields are baked into every patient template, so your report data is always organized and ready when you need to make a call.