This article will focus on using the SBAR handover as an effective communication tool. The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) tool is used by all nursing fields within primary and secondary healthcare environments to aid patient safety (NHS Improvement, 2018).
Acts of communication through handovers, ward rounds, shift exchanges and team meetings are examples of when information is exchanged between nurses and between nurses and other health professionals. Communication is one of the 6Cs, and is recognised as a fundamental aspect of nursing practice and as an essential interprofessional skill that has the power to influence team interplay and patient safety (NHS England, 2016; Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2018; Herawati et al, 2018; Park et al, 2019).
An episode of communication, specifically in a patient handover, is the point where critical clinical information is passed between health professionals (Ballantyne, 2017; Park et al, 2019). Ineffective communication in nursing has been linked in research to clinical errors, delays in diagnosis and patient dissatisfaction (Frain, 2018; Royal College of Nursing, 2019).