Introduction
Medical practitioners employ Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) techniques to communicate effectively. SBAR was implemented in only some wards, leading to communication breakdowns, treatment delays, and patient safety concerns. These observations highlight the need for evidence-based communication approaches in compliance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code and future nursing standards for privacy, dignity, and confidentiality. Communication models such as the SBAR tool are commonly used in the medical profession. It is a simple and orderly manner for physicians to discuss their patients with one another. SBAR ensures tightly focused communication with limited tolerance for mistakes. The technology is generally recognised to increase patient safety by promoting consistency in distributing crucial medical data.
- Situation: The expert introduces themselves, identifies the patient, and summarizes the problem quickly.
- Background: To offer context for the current problem, contextual information such as the patient’s medical history is provided.
- Assessment: The evaluation emphasizes the healthcare provider’s current analysis or opinions. It is a summary of the doctor’s diagnosis of the issue.
- Recommendation: What is the expert’s advice, or what would they want to see done to correct or improve the situation?
Proposed Implementation of SBAR
The SBAR tool will be used on a medical ward to address issues about bedside handover. During handoffs, the SBAR tool assists healthcare practitioners in communicating effectively and concisely. By including SBAR bedside handover principles and teaching nurses, the project increases communication, patient safety, and individualised care. The project’s objectives align with the goals of healthcare, which include increasing patient outcomes and communication (Harris, 2022).
The proposed project intends to improve the level of care during patient handoffs in a hospital ward by using the SBAR tool. Patient handover from one healthcare practitioner to another at the patient’s bedside is a critical and often lifesaving operation. However, it is a demanding operation with several potentials for misconceptions and errors that might jeopardize the patient’s health. The SBAR tool is suggested for standardizing the practice and enabling more direct and brief communication among medical personnel (MacFawn, 2021). SBAR is designed to improve patient safety by reducing the possibility of errors and enhancing consistency in the distribution of crucial information (Punyavathi, Neeladri & Singh, 2022). SBAR can promote patient participation, a critical component of patient-centered care.
As part of this project, guidelines for using the SBAR tool in bedside handovers would be written and implemented, and nurses would be taught to use it. Following the implementation of the SBAR tool, its effectiveness in improving handover quality will be assessed using a variety of metrics, including incident reporting and staff and patient satisfaction surveys. The project’s aims are consistent with those of the healthcare sector: to improve patient safety, communication, and personalized care (Harris, 2022).
Rationale
Bedside handover communication is critical. Communication may lead to medical errors, misunderstandings, and patient satisfaction. The SBAR tool enhances handover communication and promotes patient safety, engagement, trust, and satisfaction among patients and healthcare staff (McNay et al., 2023). The NMC Code, National Patient Safety Agency guidelines, and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations all underline the need to improve healthcare communication (Carnovale et al., 2019; Levitt et al., 2021). SBAR will address these concerns while also improving hospital ward communication.
Nothing is more crucial than strong communication regarding patient outcomes between physicians and their patients. Inadequate communication may lead to medical errors, misunderstandings, and disgruntled patients. Better communication, particularly during handovers, may increase patient safety, patient involvement, trust, and staff and patient pleasure. As a result, the aim of improved patient outcomes is inextricably tied to the SBAR tool’s focus on improving communication during bedside handovers (McNay et al., 2023).
Several sources stress the need to improve healthcare communication. The National Patient Safety Agency’s ‘Seven Steps to Patient Safety’ stresses communication as a vital area for growth to promote patient safety. Levitt et al. (2021) emphasize the necessity of structured communication modes in healthcare delivery. Additional National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines underscore the need for clear, coordinated communication, especially during handovers (Carnovale et al., 2019). These materials emphasize the significance of our upcoming endeavor to employ the SBAR tool in hospital wards to improve communication.
The Project
The SBAR tool is incorporated into medical ward bedside handover procedures to increase patient safety, treatment quality, and satisfaction. The effort will teach and test medical ward workers on SBAR. The project’s outcomes include an SBAR training programme, an implementation guide, and an evaluation report (Lumineau & Oliveira, 2020). This project intends to integrate and incorporate the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation tools into bedside handover processes in a medical ward (Oberto, 2021). The main objective is to standardize handover communication to improve patient safety, care quality, and satisfaction. To achieve this, SBAR training sessions and pilot implementation will be provided to personnel in the medical ward (Wianti and Koswara, 2021). Deliverables include a complete SBAR training program, a full SBAR implementation guide, and an evaluation report assessing the tool’s effectiveness and reception among healthcare professionals and patients (Lumineau & Oliveira, 2020).
Potential Impact
The SBAR tool will improve ward care and safety. SBAR simplifies handovers, reducing unnecessary back-and-forth communication and the possibility of errors and omissions (Hashish et al., 2023). SBAR enhances patient satisfaction and provider trust by including patients in bedside handover decisions. The initiative aims to enhance bedside handover protocols, evidence-based, patient-centered care, and patient outcomes. The project’s ultimate objective is to improve care and patient safety in the medical ward significantly. The uniform structure of the SBAR tool will allow a smoother handoff by minimizing needless back-and-forth and omissions (Hashish et al., 2023). As a result, the likelihood of medical errors diminishes, and the patient’s health improves. By including patients in care decisions during bedside handovers, the SBAR tool has been demonstrated to boost patient satisfaction and trust in healthcare practitioners. The effort is expected to significantly improve current bedside handover protocols, eventually leading to improved patient care and supporting the move toward evidence-based, patient-centered care.
Recent Comments