Quality Improvement Zone

SBAR is a structured communication tool, originally developed within the military and later adopted in healthcare, now widely used across many settings to support effective communication and decision-making.

SBAR stands for:

• Situation
• Background
• Assessment
• Recommendation

By organising information under these headings, SBAR helps people communicate key messages efficiently while ensuring the purpose of the communication and any requested actions are clear.

SBAR can be used in a range of situations, including:

• sharing project updates
• presenting improvement proposals
• escalating concerns or risks
• communicating the results of testing and measurement
• requesting support, resources or decisions
• clinical handovers and patient care discussions

The strength of SBAR lies not only in presenting information clearly, but in helping people move from sharing information to making a clear recommendation or request for action.

Important information can sometimes be difficult to communicate, particularly when discussions involve multiple stakeholders, competing priorities or complex issues. SBAR provides a simple structure that helps people organise their thoughts and communicate more effectively.

Using SBAR can help you:

• organise information logically and clearly
• improve the consistency of communication across teams and professions
• support effective decision-making
• increase confidence when communicating with senior colleagues or stakeholders
• focus discussions on actions and recommendations
• communicate improvement proposals and project updates effectively
• share learning from testing and implementation activities

While SBAR provides a structure for sharing information, it should support discussion and decision-making rather than replace them.

SBAR provides a simple framework for structuring information. The headings guide the flow of communication and help ensure important details are not overlooked.

1. Situation

Describe the current situation and explain why you are communicating.

Ask yourself:

• What is happening?
• What issue, opportunity or concern am I raising?
• Why does this require attention?

Keep this section concise and focused on the key message.

2. Background

Provide relevant context that helps the audience understand the situation.

Ask yourself:

• What background information is important?
• What has already happened?
• What information does the audience need to understand the issue?

Only include information that is relevant to the discussion or decision being requested.

3. Assessment

Summarise your understanding of the situation based on the information available.

Ask yourself:

• What have I learned?
• What does the evidence suggest?
• What conclusions can reasonably be drawn?

Where possible, support your assessment with data, observations or evidence.

4. Recommendation

Clearly describe what action you would like the audience to take.

Ask yourself:

• What am I asking for?
• What decision is required?
• What support is needed?
• What should happen next?

Recommendations should be as specific as possible. The audience should be clear about what action is being requested, who should take it and, where relevant, by when.