SBAR Handoff Scripts: Word-for-Word Examples for Nurses (Med-Surg, ICU, L&D, ED)

SBAR Handoff Scripts: Word-for-Word Examples for Nurses (Med-Surg, ICU, L&D, ED)

A good SBAR report takes about 90 seconds. A bad one takes five minutes and still leaves the receiving nurse confused about what actually happened on your shift.

The difference isn’t clinical knowledge. It’s structure. These word-for-word SBAR handoff scripts will show you exactly what to say — and more importantly, exactly what to leave out — across the most common nursing specialties. Use them as-is, adapt them to your patient, or steal the format until it’s second nature.

What Makes an SBAR Handoff Script Actually Work

Before the scripts: three rules that separate useful reports from time-wasters.

1. Lead with the problem, not the history. The receiving nurse needs to know right now what to watch for. Give them that first. Background can wait.
2. Say numbers. “Low blood pressure” means different things to different nurses. “MAP of 58 for the last two hours, up from a baseline of 72” means exactly one thing.
3. End with a specific ask. “Just keep an eye on it” is not a recommendation. “Call the attending if his urine output drops below 30 mL/hr over the next two hours” is.

SBAR Script Template (Universal)

Use this skeleton for any specialty. Fill in the brackets:

S — Situation:
"I'm giving you report on [patient name], [age], in room [X].
[He/She/They] is a [X]-day post-op [or: admitted for ___].
The main issue coming into your shift is [primary concern]."

B — Background:
"History includes [relevant PMH]. [He/She/They] came in [reason for admission].
Pertinent meds: [relevant meds, especially recent changes].
Most recent vitals: [HR, BP, RR, Temp, SpO2].
Labs to know: [relevant values and trends]."

A — Assessment:
"I think [he/she/they] is [your clinical impression — stable and recovering / showing early signs of X / trending in the wrong direction because ___]."

R — Recommendation:
"I need you to [specific action: watch for X / call provider if Y / follow up on pending Z at estimated time]."

Med-Surg SBAR Scripts

Stable Post-Op Handoff (Hip Replacement, Day 2)

S: “Report on Mrs. Okafor, 71, room 312. She’s post-op day 2 from a right total hip replacement. Coming into your shift, she’s stable — pain is her main concern.”

B: “PMH: HTN, type 2 DM, mild CKD stage 2. She’s on metformin — held pre-op, restarting tomorrow per ortho orders. Vitals are stable: HR 78, BP 138/84, afebrile, SpO2 97% on RA. BMP this morning: creatinine 1.3, which is her baseline. Last blood glucose 142. She’s on apixaban 2.5 mg BID for DVT prophylaxis, dose at 2100.”

A: “She’s recovering as expected. Pain has been 5–6 out of 10 with movement, controlled with scheduled oxy and PRN ice. PT came by this afternoon — she ambulated 50 feet with a walker. No signs of infection at the incision, dressing is intact.”

R: “Follow up on her 2100 blood glucose and document. She’s due for PT again at 0800. Call ortho if pain is suddenly worse or she develops calf swelling — DVT risk is in play with her immobility.”

Deteriorating Med-Surg Patient (Calling a Provider)

S: “This is Alex, RN on 5 East. I’m calling about Mr. Patel, room 521, MRN 0087234. I’m concerned he may be septic.”

B: “He’s a 64-year-old admitted three days ago for a COPD exacerbation. No known cardiac history. He was doing fine this morning — up walking in the hall. In the last two hours, he’s spiked a fever to 39.1°C, HR jumped from 88 to 114, BP dropped from his baseline of 130s to 98/62, and he’s now requiring 4L O2 to maintain his sats at 92%. His urine over the last four hours is 60 mL — that’s 15 mL/hr. His lactate from an hour ago was 2.8.”

A: “His clinical picture is consistent with early sepsis — possible source is pneumonia given his respiratory history, but I’d want to rule out a UTI too. He’s not in shock yet but his MAP is trending down.”

R: “I need you to come evaluate him. I’m requesting a sepsis bundle: blood cultures x2 before antibiotics, UA and urine culture, repeat lactate, and I’d like to discuss IV fluid bolus and broad-spectrum abx coverage. Can you come now?”

ICU SBAR Scripts

Ventilated Patient End-of-Shift Handoff

S: “Report on Mr. Osei, 58, in Bay 4. He’s intubated, day 3 in the unit for ARDS secondary to aspiration pneumonia.”

B: “Vent settings: AC/VC, TV 420 (6 mL/kg IBW), RR 18, PEEP 10, FiO2 50%. Last ABG at 1400: pH 7.38, PaCO2 42, PaO2 91 — he’s on track. Sedation: propofol at 20 mcg/kg/min, fentanyl drip at 50 mcg/hr. RASS goal negative 2, currently negative 2. He’s on Zosyn, day 3 of 7. Access: right IJ triple lumen placed yesterday, no infiltration, patent. Foley in place — UO this shift 1,240 mL, 0.4 mL/kg/hr.”

A: “He’s clinically stable with modest improvement in oxygenation — FiO2 down from 60% yesterday to 50% today. No hemodynamic instability. We did a spontaneous awakening trial this afternoon; he tolerated it for 20 minutes before becoming agitated, so sedation was restarted. No acute events this shift.”

R: “Repeat ABG at 0400 per attending orders. SAT/SBT attempt again at 0600 if RASS is between 0 and negative 1. Flag pulm if his plateau pressures go above 30 — they were 24 last check. Eyes need drops q4h — he has a corneal abrasion risk.”

Labor & Delivery SBAR Scripts

Active Labor Handoff

S: “Report on Ms. Torres, 28 years old, room 6. G2P1, 38+4 weeks, GBS negative, group B strep negative. She came in at 0300 in active labor — currently 7 cm, 80% effaced, -1 station.”

B: “Pregnancy has been uncomplicated. No gestational diabetes, no hypertension, normal anatomy scan. She has an epidural in place, placed at 0430 — good relief, PCEA running well. Pit is running at 12 milliunits/min. Baby looks reassuring on the monitor: baseline 145, moderate variability, accelerations present. We had two mild variable decels in the last hour, resolved with position change to left lateral. Last vaginal exam 45 minutes ago — she’s progressing.”

A: “She’s progressing normally. The variable decels are likely cord compression from position — they resolved quickly and baby’s strip is otherwise reassuring. I expect she’ll be complete within the next two hours.”

R: “OB is aware of the decels. Repeat SVE in one hour or sooner if she feels rectal pressure. Keep Pitocin at 12 unless decels worsen — if you see prolonged variable or late decels, stop the pit and call the OB immediately. Birth kit is open and warming.”

Emergency Department SBAR Scripts

Transferring a Patient to the ICU

S: “This is Dana, ED charge, calling to give you a heads-up on a transfer coming your way — Mrs. Kim, 67, coming to you for hypertensive emergency with end-organ damage.”

B: “She came in two hours ago with BP 218/130 and a two-day history of headache and visual changes. PMH: HTN, CKD stage 3, no known cardiac disease. She’s on nicardipine drip, started at 5 mg/hr, currently at 7.5 — BP is now 178/106. ECG shows LVH changes, no ischemia. Head CT: no hemorrhage, no mass. BMP: creatinine 2.1 from a baseline of 1.6. Troponin still pending. Two large-bore IVs in place.”

A: “She’s responding to the nicardipine but we haven’t hit goal yet. Creatinine bump suggests AKI on CKD, likely from the hypertension. She needs arterial line placement for continuous monitoring and tight titration that we can’t manage down here.”

R: “She’ll be up in about 15 minutes. The nicardipine is on a pump — don’t let it run out, I’m sending a spare bag. Target MAP 115–120 for the first hour per your attending’s preference. Troponin result will be ready in 30 minutes — please follow up. Nephrology consult was placed from the ED.”

Nursing Student SBAR Script (Clinical Rotation)

New to giving report? Use this student-friendly format. Your preceptor will appreciate the structure even if every detail isn’t perfect.

S: “Hi, I’m [your name], a nursing student on [unit] with [preceptor’s name]. I’m giving report on [patient name] in room [X]. [He/she/they] is here for [primary diagnosis]. The most important thing to know going into this shift is [one key thing].”

B: “Background: [age], [relevant PMH — 2–3 items max]. Came in [X days ago] for [reason]. Relevant meds include [2–3 key meds]. Last set of vitals: [HR, BP, Temp, SpO2]. Relevant labs: [the one or two values that matter].”

A: “Based on what I’ve seen this shift, I think [patient] is [your assessment in one sentence].”

R: “I’d ask you to watch for [specific sign/symptom] and [action if that happens].”

Tip for students: It’s okay to say “I’m not sure about X — my preceptor can fill that in.” Incomplete SBAR given confidently beats a perfect one that never gets started.

What to Do When You’re Interrupted Mid-SBAR

It happens. The receiving nurse asks a question before you get through the Background. You lose your place. You end up doubling back, re-explaining things, burning four minutes on a 90-second report.

The fix: before you start, say “Let me get through the full report first, then I’ll answer questions at the end.” Most nurses will respect that. If they won’t, answer briefly and cue back: “I’ll circle back to that — let me finish the recommendation first.”

Common SBAR Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Mistake	What It Sounds Like	Fix
No Assessment	“I just wanted to let you know his BP went down.”	Always give your clinical impression: “I’m concerned about X because Y.”
Vague recommendation	“Keep an eye on it.”	Name a specific threshold: “Call me/the attending if MAP drops below 65.”
Background overload	Listing every PMH, every med, every lab value	Only what’s relevant to the current issue. Less is more in Background.
Skipping pending items	Not mentioning labs/consults still outstanding	Always flag what’s pending and when results are expected.

Use NurseBrain to Structure Your SBAR Before Report

If you’re scrambling to pull together a coherent report at shift change, it’s often because your notes are scattered — different fields, different screens, no single view of the patient. NurseBrain organizes your patient data in SBAR-aligned patient cards throughout your shift, so when 7 AM hits, the report writes itself. See how it works.

For a free printable SBAR template and more clinical examples, see our SBAR nursing template guide. For the SBAR vs ISBAR breakdown, see SBAR vs ISBAR: What’s the Difference.