Project Director

Hand, Kelli

Department Examiner

Norwood, Barbara; Schreeder, Carolyn; Jackson, Joanie

Department

Dept. of Nursing

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Communication errors are a common cause of adverse patient safety events in the healthcare field. The Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) communication tool was introduced in 2002 to guide the communication of critical patient-care information. The purpose of this integrated literature review was to determine how the use of the SBAR tool during handoff of critical information affects communication between healthcare providers and patient safety. An integrated literature review approach was chosen due to the varying methodologies and multiple variables that have been used in the study of SBAR. The combined search terms of “SBAR”, “Communication”, and “Patient Safety” were entered into PubMed, the Cumulative Index of Nursing Research, and Cochrane databases to find English language, peer reviewed articles published within the last 10 years. The resulting articles were then analyzed for recurring themes. Review of the literature resulted in the following themes: the SBAR tool creates a common language for communication, increases the confidence of users, results in more effective and efficient communication, improves patient safety outcomes, and promotes a culture of patient safety in healthcare organizations. The benefits of SBAR can be divided into primary and secondary benefits. Primary benefits result from characteristics unique to the SBAR tool, while secondary benefits result from the standardization process of communication. The primary benefits may make SBAR more advantageous than other standardized communication tools. Communication errors are a systemic problem in healthcare, often resulting in patient harm. Evidence of this review indicates SBAR as a simple and effective intervention for improving communication and patient safety.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

12-2016

Subject

Communication in medicine; Health services administration -- Communication

Keyword

SBAR; Patient safety; Communication; Sentinel events

Discipline

Nursing

Document Type

Theses

Extent

44 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Date Available

5-1-2016

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